At Least Nine Dead in Stampede at Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: At least nine people were killed in a stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday (November 1, 2025). Andhra Pradesh agriculture minister K. Atchnnaidu confirmed that nine devotees, including a boy, have died so far, reported The Hindu.
Following the incident, the temple owner has been booked for culpable homicide.
The incident took place at a time when a large crowd had gathered at the temple for offering prayers on the occasion of the first Ekadasi of Karthika Masam, a day that is considered highly auspicious by devotees.
According to eyewitnesses, the devotees started to push each other after the queue came to a halt which resulted in panic and led to the stampede. As a result of the incident, several people fell unconscious, and even though the locals tried to perform CPR, many of them could not be revived.
The Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, which is popularly known as ‘Chinna Tirupati’ in the Srikakulam region, sees thousands of devotees from nearby districts and neighbouring Odisha visiting it.
Following the stampede, police and medical teams rushed to the spot with rescue and relief operations being underway.
“A case has been registered against the temple owner, Hari Mukunda Panda, under various sections under culpable homicide for the negligence that caused the death of the devotees,” Srikakulam SP K.V. Maheswara Reddy, told the newspaper.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the incident and directed officials to ensure that all necessary medical assistance is provided to the injured along with support to the families of those deceased in the stampede, reported The Hindu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi too expressed shock over the ghastly incident and said that it “hurt him personally”. The Prime Minister’s Office also announced Rs. 2 lakh compensation for each family of deceased persons along with Rs. 50,000 compensation for those injured.
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