Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 9 : BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) has expressed deep grief over the tragic stampede at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, which claimed six lives on Wednesday.
"Saddened by the loss of lives in the stampede at Tirupati. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. My thoughts and prayers are with those families who have lost their loved ones in this tragic mishap," KTR posted on X (formerly Twitter).
https://x.com/ktrbrs/status/1877053167583560040?s=46
Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) MLC K Kavitha also expressed her shock and offered condolences over the demise of the six individuals in the Tirupati stampede incident. She prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured individuals.
In a social media post on X, K Kavitha wrote, "Deeply saddened by the tragic stampede at Vishnu Nivasam in Tirupati. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased, and I pray for the speedy and healthy recovery of those injured. The stampede incident at Vishnu Niwasam in Tirupati is shocking. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and pray to Lord Venkateswara Swamy, the God of Kali Yuga, for the speedy recovery of the injured."
https://x.com/raokavitha/status/1877052191418233202?s=48
Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the demise of the individuals who lost their lives in a tragic stampede.
PM Modi stated that the state government is providing all possible assistance to the victims of the incident.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed his deep shock over the death of devotees in the stampede that took place near Vishnu Niwasam in Tirupati for 'darshan' tokens at Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a statement.
As many as six people lost their lives and several others were injured after a stampede broke out near Vishnu Niwasam in Tirupati on Wednesday evening.
The incident occurred near Vishnu Niwasam close to the Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara ticketing counter, during the distribution of 'darshan' tokens.
As per the statement from the office of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman BR Naidu, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is closely monitoring the incident and will meet the families of the victims of the stampede on Thursday morning.
The statement reads, "It is an unfortunate event, 6 pilgrims lost their lives. So far, only one pilgrim has been identified, while the others are yet to be identified. N Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is very serious about the incident and has expressed dissatisfaction with the officials' management during a teleconference. The Chief Minister will visit the families of the deceased tomorrow at 11:45 am. CM has warned that such incidents should not be repeated and is closely monitoring updates on the issue."
Vaikunta Dwara Darshan is scheduled to be held at the Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple from January 10 to 19. It allows devotees to pass through the sacred gate to receive Lord Venkateswara's blessings.
The TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) announced that offline tokens for darshan would be issued starting January 9, with nine token distribution centres set up in Tirupati.
Since Wednesday morning, devotees from several parts of the country were arriving in large numbers to collect tokens but, by the end of the day, a heavy crowd was observed at all the centres, leading to congestion in those areas.