'What to do if they rushed?': Andhra temple founder blames crowding for stampede

KAsibugga : Claiming he was non responsible for(p) for the tragical stampede at Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple hither that left wing nine devotees dead, the 94-year-old founder of the temple has said devotees rushed on their own during the gathering.He further said he had not informed the police as he thought everything would be normal like any other day and did not expect such a big crowd on Saturday.Nine people--eight women and a boy--were killed and many others injured in the stampede at the temple constructed by Panda on his own land, here in Srikakulam District, on Saturday.Also read: Andhra stampede on cam: Disturbing videos show people stuck, crying for helpThe tragedy was worsened by the Ekadasi observance coinciding with ‘Karthika Masam’, drawing large crowds.“What should I do if so many people come at once? I usually send everyone in line but yesterday there were so many people. I don’t know what happened, I did not inform any police,” temple priest Mukunda Panda told PTI videos.“I did not inform the police. I have courage, I told everyone to go in a queue line. People came for darshan — what can I do if they rushed and the situation turned like this?” Mukunda Panda asked while speaking to the media.He further said he was there until 3 PM without having lunch even as police came and controlled the crowd.Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh police on Sunday barred devotees from entering the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple here in Srikakulam district, following the tragic incident.Also read: 8 stampedes, 129 killed: Andhra deaths the latest in series of tragedies in 2025“We have barred devotees from entering the temple in view of the tragedy,” Srikakulam district superintendent of police, KV Maheshwara Reddy told PTI.The temple, owned by priest Mukunda Panda, was neither converted for non-agricultural use nor registered with the Endowments Department, and the organisers failed to inform local police before conducting the event, Srikakulam district superintendent of police, KV Maheshwara Reddy told PTI.The SP said the temple organisers neither sought mandatory permissions nor applied for police protection before conducting the event.“It is mandatory for temples or religious institutions to inform police in advance for crowd management, irrespective of the turnout,” he said.According to the SP, the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple is a private establishment and was operating without proper approvals. The organisers reportedly failed to comply with safety protocols. Meanwhile, police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).Andhra Pradesh Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy on Sunday visited the injured devotees at a hospital following the stampede at Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga.Speaking to reporters after meeting the patients, Minister Reddy expressed profound grief and outlined the government’s response.“I visited both the temple and the hospital, and met with patients. It is an unfortunate incident at the newly constructed temple. Devotees faced difficulties due to long queues and cramped spaces. The Collector has ordered an investigation committee comprising retired judges, IAS officers, and technical experts,” he said.“The committee will submit its report to the government, based on which appropriate action will be taken to prevent such incidents in the future,” he added.Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh said that chief minister Chandrababu Naidu has announced an ex-gratia of ₹15 Lakhs for the deceased and ₹3 Lakhs for those with serious injuries.“As soon as this happened, we informed the PMO,” Nara Lokesh said.