Srikakulam temple stampede: What triggered the tragedy?

The stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh which has claimed at least nine lives has cast a spotlight on the circumstances that led to the fatal incident.

According to an NDTV report citing sources within the Andhra Pradesh government, an 80-year-old man named Harimukunda Panda built the temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara on his own land in Kasibugga town, Srikakulam district.

The shrine, inaugurated only four months ago, is modelled on the grand Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple at Tirumala and is popularly known as “Mini Tirupati".

Privately-managed temple

The Srikakulam temple is privately managed and reportedly falls outside the jurisdiction of the state’s Endowments Department, raising concerns about the absence of official oversight and safety-planning for large gatherings.

According to India Today, sources revealed that the event organisers neither obtained official permissions nor informed the state government about the mass congregation. Despite anticipating thousands of devotees, no crowd-control measures were put in place.

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The area where the pilgrims had gathered was reportedly still under construction with ongoing work at the site when the incident occurred, violating basic safety norms.

Same entry and exit points

The Srikakulam temple’s entry and exit points were allegedly the same, creating a dangerous bottleneck as devotees tried to move in both directions simultaneously. With no barricades or crowd-management arrangements, the situation quickly spiralled out of control.

A single narrow passage served as both entry and exit, flanked by handrails. It was here that tragedy struck as hundreds of devotees thronged the temple for the Ekadashi puja.

Government sources told NDTV that the temple management had failed to alert the local administration about the expected Ekadashi rush. The overwhelming crowd reportedly led to severe congestion, triggering a sudden stampede.

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Visuals showed people trapped against the rails of the narrow passage, desperately trying to escape. Several women carrying puja baskets were seen crying and shouting for help amid the chaos.

Damaged iron railing

Srikakulam Superintendent of Police KV Maheswara Reddy told The Hindu, “It is not a stampede per se. Nine devotees have lost their lives, and two are in critical condition after falling from the wall adjoining the railing. The devotees panicked and tried to flee after the iron railing gave way.”

“The condition of the two survivors is critical,” he added. “A case has been registered against the temple owner, Hari Mukunda Panda, under various sections related to culpable homicide for negligence leading to the deaths of the devotees,” the police officer said.

The victims were reportedly killed after they fell down from a six-feet-high wall when they attempted to escape from the rush after an iron railing was damaged inside the temple.

Govt cites lack of planning

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu stated that had the police been informed earlier, they could have implemented a crowd-management plan.

“Due to proper planning, we managed to prevent greater loss of life during the cyclone. Sadly, so many people have died in this incident. Those responsible will be dealt with strictly and taken into custody,” he said.

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Andhra Pradesh Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy clarified that the temple in Srikakulam where the tragedy occurred is not under government control.

“The temple can accommodate only 2,000 to 3,000 people. However, as today was Ekadashi, nearly 25,000 devotees arrived at once. Arrangements were not made accordingly, nor was any intimation given to the government. This is what led to the accident,” he explained in a video posted on X by the Andhra Pradesh government’s fact-check department.