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At least three pilgrims suffered injuries on Tuesday morning after a stampede-like situation prevailed at the Govindaraja Swamy choultry in Tirupati where tokens were being issued to devotees for having free darshan of Lord Venkateshwara atop Tirumala hills.
Thousands of devotees assembled at three counters – Govindaraja Swamy choultry, Srinvasam guest house and Bhudevi Complex, where the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) made arrangements for the issuance of “Sarvadarshanam” tickets to pilgrims to have the free darshan of the Lord.
The TTD authorities on Tuesday opened the Vaikuntham queue complex on the Tirumala hills for the Sarvadarshanam token holders for the first time after March 21, 2020, as the temple was shut down on account of Covid-19 pandemic-forced lockdown.
Since there has been a mad rush of pilgrims for the darshan, the authorities stopped the issuance of Sarvadarshanam tokens two days ago. But on Tuesday, when the token system resumed, thousands of pilgrims thronged the three counters.
At the token counter near Govindaraja Swamy choultry, the pilgrims jostled with one another, resulting in a near stampede situation. The local police, besides TTD security personnel, had a tough time controlling the surging crowds, TTD officials said.
In the melee, three pilgrims received bruises and suffered from suffocation. The police immediately shifted them to Sri Venkateshwara Ramnarayana Ruia government hospital, where they are declared out of danger, the TTD officials said.
With the situation going out of hand, the TTD authorities quickly announced the withdrawal of the token system for the day and said all the pilgrims could directly go to Tirumala hills to have the darshan.
In a statement, TTD public relations officer Thalari Ravi Kumar said there was a huge rush at three token counters in Tirupati. “However, with the crowds swelling beyond control, the TTD has decided to do away with the tokens and allow pilgrims directly into the compartments of Tirumala for darshan. The situation is normal now,” he said.
Kumar further said the TTD also decided to suspend the “break darshan” meant for VVIPs during the select hours in the morning for the next five days. He also appealed to the devotees to come prepared for a long stay in queues in the wake of a heavy rush on the Tirumala hills.
Earlier, there were reports of devotees complaining that they had been made to wait for long hours to get darshan tickets. “There has been no drinking water and food facilities in the queue lines. We should be allowed to climb up the hills at least so that we can get our heads tonsured before we get the opportunity for darshan,” a woman pilgrim complained to local media.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed anguish over the hardships being faced by pilgrims at Tirupati to have the darshan of the Lord.
“How can the TTD remain so indifferent when thousands of pilgrims including women and children were waiting for hours together under the scorching sun? The authorities seem to be more interested in making money from the pilgrims, than providing them basic facilities like drinking water and food,” he said.
He demanded that the TTD should apologise to the people and extend all facilities to them so that they could have hassle-free darshan.
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