At Least 9 Killed in Stampede at Andhra's Kasibugga Temple, Prez and PM Express Grief Over Loss of Lives

PTI, KASIBUGGA, NOV 1, 2025 :  At least nine people—eight women and a boy—were killed, and many others were injured in a stampede that occurred at the Venkateswara Swamy temple in Srikakulam district on Saturday. Earlier, Srikakulam district collector Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar had reported the toll at 10.

State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha stated that the temple is a private one and is not under the Endowments Department. The temple usually witnesses a turnout of 1,500 to 2,000 devotees every Saturday. The tragedy was exacerbated by the Ekadasi observance coinciding with 'Karthika Masam', drawing large crowds. At least seven of the deceased were in the age group of 35-40.

According to the minister, the temple is located on the first floor, and when devotees were climbing, the railing broke, causing people standing at a corner to fall on one another.

Srikakulam district Superintendent of Police (SP) K.V. Maheshwara Reddy said it is mandatory for temples (or religious institutions) to seek permission from the police when organizing events, irrespective of the expected turnout. "It is definitely mandatory under the Public Safety Act. They can ask for any number of people. It is not that only 200 or 2,000 people— even if 200 people come, they can inform us, and we will assess the situation. Based on that, we will provide the necessary security," Reddy explained.

Incidentally, the police provided security to other temples in the North Andhra district that day, but the SP stated that the owner of this particular temple, Mukunda Panda, failed to inform them. According to Reddy, Panda built the temple without the requisite permissions and opened it to the public.

Meanwhile, the SP confirmed that cases are being registered under culpable homicide charges. Earlier, Reddy clarified that nine people had died in the mishap. "Nine (deaths). Nine only. One person is a bit serious, but he is not dead. A total of nine people, including a 12-year-old child; the remaining victims are all female. It is a private temple, not a government temple, and was constructed recently," Reddy said.

The police official explained that the incident was caused by the collapse of a railing near the steps, which led to panic. "The public thought something was falling and panicked. They fell from a height of about six feet. There was no stampede. Since the collapse was from a height of six feet, one person fell on another, which led to the incident," Reddy added.

President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday condoled the loss of lives in the tragedy and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured. "Shocked to learn about the loss of lives in a tragic incident at Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh. I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the quick recovery of those injured," Murmu posted on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragic stampede at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of those who lost their lives, and Rs 2,000 to the injured.

"Pained by the stampede in Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover soon," he said in a post on X.

Reacting to the incident, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, in a post on X, said: "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."

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday also expressed sadness over the loss of lives in the stampede and urged the state government to mobilize resources to provide relief to the victims and their families. "Deeply pained by the tragic loss of lives in the stampede at the Kasibugga Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh," Kharge posted.