'My Land, My Temple, Why Should I Inform Cops?' Andhra Priest On Stampede

Hari Mukunda Panda, a 94-year-old devotee of Lord Venkateswara, had built a temple in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district just four months ago. Modelled after the grand Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala, it came to be known as the 'Chinna Tirupati' or 'Mini Tirupati' locally. The construction wasn't complete yet when a tragedy struck on Ekadashi. A huge rush at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Kasibugga led to a stampede yesterday, killing nine devotees, including eight women and a child.

Panda told NDTV he had not informed the local administration about the Ekadashi event. "I built the temple on my private land. Why should I inform the police or administration?" he asked.

If he had informed the police earlier, they could have made arrangements to manage the crowd, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had said yesterday, blaming the temple authorities for the tragedy. He also assured strict action in the case.

"You may book multiple cases. I have no issues," Panda asserted.

The priest noted the temple usually sees fewer visitors, and he didn't expect such a huge turnout on Ekadashi.

"The crowd is usually smaller at the temple. After darshan of the deity, devotees receive prasad, and they leave. I don't ask for anything. I cook the food and prasad with my own money. But yesterday, the crowd suddenly swelled at 9 am. The prasad we cooked was finished. We didn't get time to prepare more food," he said.

The temple has closed after the tragedy. A lock now hangs at its entrance, with cops still deployed within its premises.

Several lapses have emerged following the tragedy that compounded the trouble for the devotees in the overcrowded temple. It had just one common entry-exit, with handrails flanking the narrow passage that led to the main structure.

(With inputs from Dev Kumar Ghosh)