The incident prompted a familiar rush of politicians visiting the temple and promising safety audits at all places of worship. But as days pass, the tragedy risks becoming just another stampede, slipping into oblivion.
Published Nov 07, 2025 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 07, 2025 | 8:00 AM
Screengrab of the stampede that took place in Kasibugga on 1 November. Credit: x.com/TheNaveena
Synopsis: A week after the Kasibugga temple stampede in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district killed nine devotees, grief endures for families even as public attention wanes. Police have filed cases of negligence against the temple’s management and a private builder, while a SIT is examining lapses in crowd control and safety measures. The tragedy is the third major temple-related disaster in the state this year, but after the initial outrage, promises of temple safety reforms are yet to materialise.
A week after the deadly stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga, Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, the incident is slowly fading from public memory, and the investigation too appears to be losing momentum.
Immediately after the tragedy, police registered an FIR against the temple management over the stampede that killed eight women devotees and a boy on 1 November.
The tragedy marked the third major temple-related incident in the state this year, following a January stampede at Bairagi Patteda in Tirupati, which claimed six lives, and an April wall collapse at Simhachalam’s Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple that killed seven.
Together, the three incidents have left 22 people dead and nearly 100 injured.
The latest incident prompted a familiar rush of politicians visiting the temple and promising safety audits at all places of worship. But as days pass, the tragedy risks becoming just another stampede, slipping into oblivion.
It highlights persistent vulnerabilities at religious sites, particularly those managed privately, where sudden surges of devotees strain outdated infrastructure.
The government has promised action to make temples safe, but the million-dollar question is: will any real action follow? And what about the families who lost their loved ones in the stampede?
The incident occurred around 11.30 am on Karthika Ekadashi, a sacred Hindu observance that draws large numbers of pilgrims for special rituals.
The privately managed shrine, not registered under the Andhra Pradesh Endowments Department, witnessed an unprecedented turnout of devotees from villages across the Uddanam region.
Eyewitnesses described a queue stretching through a narrow passage with shared entry and exit points, worsened by incomplete construction work. The railing, meant to guide worshippers, buckled under the weight of the crowd near the temple steps, triggering panic as devotees attempted to scale a six-foot wall to escape.
What followed was chaos: a sudden collapse that left several people trapped beneath the damaged structure.
Among the deceased were eight women and one 13-year-old boy, all from nearby mandals: Eduri Chinnammi from Rameswaram village, Tekkali Mandal; Rapaka Vijaya, 48, from Pittalasaria village, Tekkali Mandal; Muripinti Neelamma, 60, from Dukkavanmipeta village, Vajrapukotturu Mandal; Duvvu Rajeswari, 60, from Belupatiya village, Mandasa Mandal; Chinni Yosodamma, 56, from Sivarampuram village, Nandigam Mandal; Rupa from Guddibhara, Mandasa Mandal; Chy Lotla Nikhil, 13, from Benkili village, Sompeta Mandal; Dokkara Ammulamma from Palasa–Kasibugga Municipality; and Bora Brunda from Boya Veedhi, Mandasa.
Seven people died at the site, while two succumbed to injuries in hospital. Of the 26 injured—primarily women from nearby areas—15 have been discharged from the Palasa Kidney Research Centre and Super Speciality Hospital after X-rays and examinations.
Eleven others remain under care at the Palasa Community Health Centre, with two in stable but serious condition and one referred for surgery at GEMS Hospital in Srikakulam.
Health Minister Satyakumar Yadav has directed round-the-clock monitoring of the victims’ treatment.
The police were quick to absolve themselves of any responsibility, brushing aside criticism that they were occupied elsewhere while the stampede unfolded.
A crowd of 20,000 to 25,000 is overwhelmingly large for a small town like Kasibugga, and one would have to be blind to miss the obvious. Yet, the police claimed they were not aware, and by the time they knew about it, it was all over.
A Special Investigation Team has been constituted to probe multiple aspects of the incident, including crowd control lapses and structural failures. The contents of its report are yet to be made public.
The preliminary police investigation pointed to the obvious: negligence in crowd management and poor temple infrastructure. Police stated that this was the trigger for the deadly domino effect.
Charges filed under Sections 105 and 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, for causing death by negligence and endangering human life through rash acts, have been directed at the temple’s management committee and a private builder involved in ongoing construction.
Srikakulam Superintendent of Police KV Maheswara Reddy said after the incident that the temple had failed to notify authorities of the potential crowd surge, as the premises can only accommodate about 3,000 devotees at a time.
The sudden rush led to the collapse of an iron railing and subsequent panic. The temple has remained closed to the public since Sunday, 2 November.
Temple founder Hari Mukunda Panda, who built the 12-acre complex as a “mini Tirupati” after a personal setback at the original shrine, expressed remorse but denied culpability. He has been placed under “house arrest”.
Four months after its inauguration—funded by his savings and donations from the sale of coconut groves—the temple aimed to provide accessible darshan for those unable to travel.
Panda, now 95, said devotees ignored appeals to stay in line and surged forward unprompted, adding that he had anticipated only routine crowds of around 5,000.
Police, however, emphasised the absence of permissions, requests for police deployment, or safety measures such as separate entry and exit routes.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, shocked by the incident, ordered a Special Investigation Team to examine permissions, structural integrity, and accountability.
He vowed strict action, noting that advance notice could have enabled crowd control. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan called for stricter queue management at all temples, while Union Minister K Rammohan Naidu visited the site, consoled families, and directed inquiries.
Agriculture Minister K Atchannaidu and Human Resources Development Minister Nara Lokesh coordinated relief efforts, with a control room set up at the Srikakulam Collectorate.
Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy announced the formation of an advisory committee and a safety checklist for temples across the state, with a joint panel to inspect both private and government-run shrines in the region.
The reopening of the Kasibugga temple will depend on departmental reports. Police have warned against misinformation on social media, promising legal action against those spreading rumours.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
