- The Andhra Pradesh government has said an 80-year-old man built the 'Mini Tirupati' temple on his land
- The temple that opened four months ago has a common entry and exit point; this led to the stampede tragedy
- No crowd management plan was in place for the large Ekadashi day gathering, a state minister has said
An under-construction temple, a common entry-exit, and an Ekadashi rush -- the aftermath of the stampede at Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam has put the spotlight on the circumstances leading to the nine deaths in the temple tragedy.
According to sources in the Andhra Pradesh government, an 80-year-old man, Harimukunda Panda, built the temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara on his land. The temple, which opened to devotees just four months back, is modelled on the grand Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple at Tirumala and is called "Chinna Tirupati", meaning 'Mini Tirupati'. There is a common entry and exit point, and handrails flank the narrow passage. This is where tragedy struck when hundreds of devotees flocked to the temple for the Ekadashi puja. A free bus trip was also arranged to bring women devotees to the temple, adding to the crowd, reports said.
Sources in the government said the temple management did not inform the local administration about the expected Ekadashi rush. So there was hardly any crowd management plan in place as hundreds of devotees flocked to 'Mini Tirupati' to offer their prayers.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that if the police had been informed in advance, they could have put a crowd management plan in place. "Due to planning, we were able to avoid more loss of life in the cyclone. Sadly, so many people died in the stampede. Those responsible for this incident will be dealt with seriously and taken into custody," he said.
Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, the Endowments Minister of Andhra Pradesh, said the temple where the tragedy occurred is not managed by the state government. "The capacity of this temple is only up to 2,000 to 3,000 people. Today, being Ekadashi, up to 25,000 people arrived all at once. Arrangements were not made accordingly, nor was information provided to the government. This is the reason for the accident," he said in a video posted on X by Andhra Pradesh government's fact-check department.
Visuals from the temple show scores of women stuck in the narrow space. Puja baskets in hands, many of them are seen gasping for air and screaming for help. Some visuals also show relatives trying to administer CPR to victims and rubbing their palms in last-ditch efforts to revive them. According to the district administration, the victims include eight women and a child. Two people are seriously injured, and 15 others have suffered minor injuries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office has said the stampede has pained him. "My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," the Prime Minister's Office has said.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has expressed shock over the tragedy and described the deaths as "heartbreaking". "The stampede incident at the Venkateswara Temple in Kashibugga in Srikakulam district has caused a shock. The death of devotees in this tragic incident is extremely heartbreaking. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. I have instructed the officials to provide speedy and proper treatment to those who have been injured," the Chief Minister said in a post on X. He has asked local officials and public representatives to reach the spot and oversee relief operations.
