The fatal line between fervour and frenzy

Made to play host to hundreds of arduous devotees of Lord Venkateswara, the quiet neighbourhood of Bairagipatteda became witness to the first stampede that happened for Vaikunta Ekadasi tokens in Tirupati. An over-enthusiastic, jittery crowd, which went beyond the control of the poorly coordinated security officials at the spot, turned the silent residential locality into a death zone for two minutes, leading to six deaths, finds A.D. Rangarajan