The stampede at the Venkateswara Swamy temple broke out when a large crowd surged forward as the temple gates opened, triggering panic among devotees. At least nine devotees were killed and several others injured in a stampede at the Venkateswara Swamy temple in Kasibugga, Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district, on Saturday. The tragedy occurred when thousands gathered at the privately-run temple on the occasion of Ekadashi, leading to overcrowding and the collapse of a railing.
Authorities said the incident could have been avoided had the temple management coordinated with officials about the expected surge of crowd. Soon after the incident, several statements from the government and ministers of the ruling TDP highlighted that the temple was “privately owned and not managed by the Endowments Department.”
What led to the Andhra temple tragedy
According to a statement issued by the Andhra Pradesh government, the stampede broke out when a large crowd surged forward as the temple gates opened, triggering panic among devotees. The statement added that nearly 15,000 people had gathered at the site at the time of the incident. The government said a railing collapsed under the pressure of the crowd, further intensifying the chaos, as both entry and exit were being managed through the same route.
The devotees were climbing to the elevated temple premises, said home minister Vangalapudi Anitha. The temple, located on the first floor, witnessed the collapse of a railing while devotees were climbing, causing those at the corner to fall and others to topple over them.
Meanwhile, Srikakulam SP KV Maheswara Reddy said the tragedy took place because the temple had only one entry and exit point. “There is only one entry and exit. The incident occurred due to the collapse of an iron grill near the steps. The public, in fear, thought that something was falling and panicked,” he added. “They fell from a height of about six feet. Since the collapse was from a height of six feet, one person fell on another, and that led to the incident,” Reddy told reporters in Andhra.
Overwhelming turnout ended in stampede
The state government’s fact-check wing also released a statement on social media by minister for endowments, Anam Ramanarayana, flagging the temple’s private ownership.
“The Kasibugga Venkateswara Temple in Srikakulam district, where the stampede occurred, is not under government management… This private temple is not under the control of the Endowments Department,” the post read.
It added that while the temple’s capacity was limited to about 2,000–3,000 people, nearly 25,000 devotees arrived at once without prior coordination with authorities.“Arrangements were not made accordingly… nor was information provided to the government by the concerned individual. This is the reason for the accident that occurred,” it stated. Home minister Anitha also noted that the combination of Ekadasi and Karthika Masam falling on a Saturday led to an unusually large turnout.
CM Naidu orders relief measures
Expressing grief over the incident, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said on X, “The stampede at Kasibugga Venkateswara temple in Srikakulam district anguished me. It is very sad that devotees have died in this unfortunate incident. I convey my deepest sympathies to the families of the victims.”
Naidu said he had directed officials to ensure proper medical care for the injured and instructed authorities and local leaders to monitor relief and rescue operations. President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the temple stampede.
Jagan Reddy blames government’s ‘negligence’
Former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed deep shock and grief over the tragedy, describing it as “heartbreaking” that devotees lost their lives.
Reddy pointed out that similar tragedies had occurred earlier—six devotees during Vaikuntha Ekadasi in Tirupati and seven at Simhachalam temple. “Despite repeated tragedies, the government has failed to take proper precautions and has acted with utter negligence,” the news agency quoted him as saying.
“This repeated loss of innocent lives reflects the inefficiency of Chandrababu Naidu’s administration,” Reddy added, urging the state to take corrective measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
