Srikakulam Temple Tragedy: TDP Govt Brushes Off Accountability For Stampede
1 Nov, 2025 15:06 IST|Sakshi Post
Hours after a deadly stampede at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga, Srikakulam, claimed 10 lives, the TDP government refused to take responsibility for the tragedy. Sharing a video on X (formerly Twitter), Endowments Minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy dismissed any government accountability for crowd control, stating that the temple was privately managed.
“The Kasibugga Venkateswara Temple in Srikakulam district, where the stampede occurred, does not come under government control. The Endowments Department does not manage the temple. It was constructed by an individual named Harimukundapanda on 12 acres of his own land,” the Minister said.
He added that while the temple can accommodate 2,000 to 3,000 people, the footfall surged to 25,000 on the auspicious Ekadasi during the Karthik month. Anam claimed that the temple management had failed to make adequate arrangements to control the crowd, and the government had not been informed about the scale of devotees. Relief measures, he said, were launched on the orders of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
The Minister’s response has triggered widespread outrage, with citizens and political parties condemning the government for shirking responsibility. Among the victims were women and a child who had undertaken a deeksha. Devotees alleged that no crowd control measures were in place and that neither police nor ambulances arrived promptly. YSRCP leader and former Minister Seediri Appalaraju, a doctor by profession, rushed to the site with his team to administer first aid.
The TDP government is facing intense criticism, especially as this is the third major temple-related tragedy under its tenure. In January, six people died in a stampede at Tirupati while buying tickets for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshan. In April, at least seven were killed at Simhachalam’s Narasimha Swamy Temple during the Chandanotsavam festival when a newly built cement wall collapsed.
Observers say these incidents underscore the government’s repeated negligence toward temple safety. In the latest Kasibugga tragedy, the Chandrababu Naidu-led administration is once again being accused of attempting to evade responsibility for the deaths of 10 devotees.
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— Anam Rama Narayana Reddy_Official (@AnamReddy_TDP) November 1, 2025
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ఈ ఆలయం పూర్తిగా ప్రైవేట్ వ్యక్తుల ఆధీనంలో నడుస్తున్నదని,… pic.twitter.com/Po1WZ5GatB
