How TOI and DC have conflicting versions about what happened at Tirumala on January 1

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The News Minute | January 2, 2015 | 12:00 pm IST

The Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala is the one of the most visited places of worship in the world. Every New Year, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) - the trust that manages the various aspects of the temple, braces itself for crowds that easily number over a lakh.

This year however, as the New Year coincided with two auspicious days on January 1 and 2 - Vaikunta Ekadasi and Dwadasi, bigger crowds were expected. Many VVIP’s including more than 200 sitting and former MLAs and MLCs, 20 MPs and 100 bureaucrats and the chief minister were on the list.

Read - TTD braces for New Year rush; 1.3 lakh people expected to visit

Though the TTD initially expected around 1.3 lakh visitors, a report in the Times of India adds that there were nearly 2.1 lakh devotees who thronged the temple out of which around 80,000 devotees could get darshan on the doubly auspicious day.

The report also adds that the temple seemed like a war zone with near stampede conditions and a TTD official being assaulted by angry mobs as 12,000 TTD staff and the police attempted crowd control.

The paper also quoted devotees, who said that “It was like war zone. I returned as I sensed that I cannot get the darshan even for next two days,“ B Bhanu Kiran, a devotee from Kurnool said. “There are several people like me who are leaving as the number of visiting pilgrims is only growing by the day ,“ he added.

TOI also stated that, as TTD authorities restricted the entry of devotees, who were standing outside the queue complex, few angry devotees tried to stop VIP vehicles near the Lepakshi circle.

The TTD authorities stated that the situation eased only after 7 pm and expressed helplessness as they argued that the huge turnout was due to Vaikunta Ekadashi and January 1 falling on the same day.

However this report in the Deccan Chronicle, is quite conflicting to the report mentioned above. The report states that the temple administration won accolades from the general public, who for the first time, were allowed “Vaikunta Ekadasi” darshan as early as 3 am.

DC stated that TTD executive officer Dr D. Sambasiva Rao ensured the number of VIP passes issued on the eve of Vaikunta Ekadasi was well within the permissible limits and didn’t hamper darshan for the common man.

The report also added that the TTD managed the crowd with different timings for VIP’s and common devotees, resulting in a hassle free darshan for the devotees.

We are confused, and hoping Lord Balaji has the answer.

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