Srikakulam, November 1, 2025 — Harimukund Panda, the temple administrator of the Kasibugga Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam district, reacted to the tragic stampede incident that occurred at the temple. He stated that the temple usually witnesses around 2,000 devotees on regular days and did not anticipate such a large crowd on this occasion. “I distributed prasadam to devotees and sent them off as usual. I never imagined such an incident would occur. Since I was unaware that so many people would come, I did not inform the police,” he said. The District Collector and SP spoke with Harimukund Panda at the temple premises and later visited the hospital where the injured devotees were being treated. Police have now taken control of the temple area while Panda remains within the temple grounds.
According to reports, Harimukund Panda had constructed the temple four years ago on his 12-acre private land at a cost of around ₹20 crore, and it was opened to devotees in May last year. Every Saturday, large numbers of devotees visit the temple, but the management failed to anticipate the massive crowd on Ekadashi day, which led to the tragic incident. Nine devotees, including eight women and one child, lost their lives, and several others were injured in the stampede that occurred when devotees tried to enter through an exit route, causing the iron railing to collapse. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, and several ministers expressed deep grief over the tragedy. The Prime Minister announced ₹2 lakh ex gratia for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured. Home Minister Anitha ordered a comprehensive inquiry, while the District Collector clarified that the temple is privately owned and not affiliated with the Endowments Department, assuring that safety measures like CCTV installations will be implemented to prevent such incidents in the future.
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