Tirupati stampede: MHA official to review crowd control measures at TTD on Jan 20

Tirupati, Jan 18 (PTI) In the wake of a recent stampede that claimed six lives, the Union Home Ministry will send a senior official to review crowd control measures and security arrangements on January 20, sources said on Saturday.

Additional Secretary (Disaster Management) Sanjeev Kumar Jindal will arrive on Sunday night, according to a letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) addressed to the Chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

“As reported in the control room of the Ministry of Home Affairs, an unfortunate incident of stampede occurred on January 8, 2025, and a fire incident on January 13, 2025, at the TTD temple complex.

To review the crowd control measures and security arrangements, Sanjeev Kumar Jindal, Additional Secretary (Disaster Management), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, will hold a meeting with the management of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam on January 20, 2025,” the letter stated.

Six devotees lost their lives, and nearly 40 others were injured in the stampede at Bairagi Patteda near MGM School and Vishnu Nivasam counters in Tirupati on January 8, as hundreds jostled for tickets for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshan at the Lord Venkateswara temple on Tirumala hills.

Hundreds of devotees had gathered from across the country for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshan, which began on January 10.

A minor electrical spark generated a small amount of smoke at a laddu counter at the Lord Venkateswara temple on January 13, but it was extinguished immediately. PTI GDK SSK SSK ROH