On January 8, 2025, a tragic stampede occurred at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, resulting in the deaths of six devotees, including five women, and injuring 29 others.
The incident took place near the Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan ticketing center as a large crowd gathered to obtain tokens for the upcoming 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam festival, set to commence on January 10.
The stampede was triggered by overcrowding when police opened the temple gates, leading to a rush among devotees.
The injured were promptly transported to Sri Venkateswara Ramnarayan Ruia Government General Hospital for treatment.
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In response to the tragedy, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹25 lakh to the families of the deceased.
He also visited the hospital to meet with the injured and has called for a review meeting to assess the situation and prevent such incidents in the future.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman, B.R. Naidu, acknowledged that overcrowding was the primary cause of the stampede and stated that a complete report would be provided.
He noted that some of the victims were from Tamil Nadu and others from Andhra Pradesh.
This tragic event underscores the need for improved crowd management and safety measures during large religious gatherings to prevent such incidents in the future.
