Following the death of 10 devotees at the Venkateswara Swamy temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district, the state police have barred entry into the premises. Srikakulam Superintendent of Police (SP) KV Maheshwar Reddy told media persons that the temple was sealed on November 2.
At least 10 people lost their lives in a tragic stampede at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga in Srikakulam district during Ekadashi celebrations on November 1.
According to media reports, the Venkateswara Swamy Temple, also referred to locally as ‘Mini Tirupati’, is a privately built shrine that was inaugurated just four months ago. The temple, which is not managed by the state’s Endowments Department, reportedly held a large-scale gathering without prior approval from authorities.
On Saturday, November 1, the temple founder, Hari Mukunda Panda, was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing death by negligence.
Government officials said that the section of the premises where devotees had gathered was still under construction and that the temple has only a single entry and exit point. The situation turned chaotic when the steel railings collapsed under pressure from the surging crowd.
Disturbing visuals from the temple premises showed bodies on the ground as locals and rescue teams rushed to assist the injured. Earlier videos from the site showed heavy overcrowding, with hundreds of women carrying puja baskets struggling to move on a staircase amid chaos and panic.