Two days before the Vaikuntha Ekadasi festival at the Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh, chaotic scenes unfolded as large crowds gathered at over 90 counters set up to distribute darshan tokens.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) had arranged for 1,20,000 free "sarva darshan" tokens for devotees visiting Lord Venkateswara Swamy from January 10 to 12. The tokens were scheduled for distribution starting Thursday at 5 am, but thousands of devotees began lining up the previous night at counters located at Vishnu Nivasam, Srinivasam, Bhudevi Complexes, and other areas like Bairagipatteda, Satyanarayanapuram, and Ramanaidu School.

The situation escalated at the MGM High School counter in Bairagipatteda when thousands of people began gathering from early Wednesday. According to Tirupati Municipal Commissioner N Moruya, the crowd swelled to around 4,000–5,000 by the evening, leading to overcrowding and pushing.

TTD Chairman BR Naidu explained that chaos erupted when a gate was opened to help an unwell woman, prompting a surge in the crowd. The lack of adequate crowd control measures resulted in a stampede on Wednesday evening, claiming six lives and leaving more than 40 injured. Tirupati Collector S Venkateswar said the evacuation of the crowd took approximately 15 minutes.

The Vaikuntha Ekadasi festival holds great significance for devotees, as it allows them to worship Lord Venkateswara through the temple's northern entrance.

Leaders from across the country expressed their condolences. Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his sympathies to the victims' families, stating that his thoughts were with those who lost loved ones. Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, urged Congress workers to assist those affected.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed his sorrow, describing the incident as "deeply disturbing." He wrote in Telugu on X, "The death of several devotees in a stampede near Vishnu Nivasam in Tirupati for tokens to visit Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara has shocked me. This tragic incident, which occurred when devotees had gathered in large numbers for tokens, deeply disturbed me."

Authorities are reviewing safety measures to prevent such tragedies in the future as preparations for the festival continue.