Visakhapatnam: Kandipalli Mahendra Varaprasad, an 18-year-old from Vizag, is engulfed by grief after his mother, K. Shanthi, 38, tragically died in a stampede during the distribution of Vaikunta Dwara Sarva Darshan tokens in Tirupati. Varaprasad expressed his devastation, stating, "I lost everything in my life, my future is uncertain" (source).

The incident occurred on Wednesday night near Vishnu Nivasam, where Varaprasad and his father, Venkatesh, an auto-rickshaw driver, had lined up to collect tokens for their highly anticipated pilgrimage to the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple. Tragically, the stampede erupted as police opened the gates for token distribution, leading to chaos among the many pilgrims gathered.

Varaprasad spoke of the moment they lost track of his mother, stating, "We assumed my mother had collected hers. It wasn’t until later that we realized she had fallen" (source). After searching for hours at local hospitals, they were informed of her death through a disturbing viral video on social media.

This tragic turn of events has left Varaprasad's future hanging in uncertainty. He had recently graduated from ITI, hopeful about securing a job to support his family and fulfill his dreams, which included buying gifts for his mother. "It’s hard to come to terms with this loss," he mournfully added, reflecting on his shattered plans.

In total, six lives were lost in this devastating incident, a heartbreaking reminder of the vulnerabilities faced during large gatherings (source).