‘Didn’t Expect Such A Crowd’: 94-Year-Old Temple Priest Says No Permission Was Sought to Manage Devotees

Srikakulam: Hours after the tragic stampede that claimed 10 lives during Ekadashi celebrations at the Venkateswara Swamy temple in Kashibugga in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, Republic spoke exclusively to the 94-year-old temple priest, who confirmed that no official permission or crowd management plan was in place for the event.

The priest, visibly shaken, said he had never anticipated such a massive turnout. “We thought around 2,000 devotees would come. Never in my life have I seen such a rush here,” he said, adding that the crowd swelled unexpectedly early in the morning as devotees arrived from nearby districts.

He admitted that the temple was privately managed and that no security or administrative support had been sought from local authorities. “The temple is privately run. We didn’t think we needed security or police deployment,” he told Republic.

Officials said that preliminary reports indicated a lack of barricading and inadequate entry-exit arrangements contributed to the crush. Local police and district administration have now launched an inquiry into what led to the tragedy.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos as devotees surged towards the sanctum, causing several to fall and get trampled.

As many as 25,000 devotees had thronged the temple. However, the capacity of the temple was only 2,000. The incident occurred after people in large number gathered at the temple for the Ekadashi celebrations. The heavy rush quickly led to severe overcrowding and chaos, which triggered the stampede.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. He announced that an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF will be provided to the next of kin of the deceased, while the injured will receive Rs 50,000 each.

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