The tragic stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga has become the most prominent recent news story in the Palasa region, triggering a government inquiry and prompting state-wide calls for safety reforms.
Here are the key details and the latest updates on the incident:
Temple Stampede Tragedy and Investigation
The Incident Details
- What: A stampede occurred at the privately-managed Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga, Palasa, on Saturday, November 1, 2025.
- Casualties: Nine devotees, including eight women and a 13-year-old boy, were killed. More than 25 people sustained injuries.
- Context: The crowd, estimated at over 20,000, far exceeded the temple’s capacity of 2,000 to 3,000, due to the auspicious occasion of Karthika Ekadashi. The disaster was reportedly triggered by the collapse of a poorly constructed iron railing near a narrow staircase, causing panic and a crush.
Key Lapses and Legal Action
The investigation has focused on multiple areas of negligence:
- Crowd Management: Authorities confirmed a severe lack of crowd control and security. Witnesses noted the main cause was the single, common route used for both entry and exit, creating a fatal bottleneck.
- Lack of Permits: The temple is a private establishment built by 94-year-old philanthropist Hari Mukund Panda (originally from Odisha) and was not registered with the state’s Endowments Department, nor had the organizers applied for mandatory police permission for the large gathering.
- Legal Action: The police immediately filed a case against the temple owner, Hari Mukund Panda, under Section 100 (culpable homicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and detained four temple staff members for questioning. Panda, however, publicly asserted that he bears no responsibility, calling the stampede “an act of God.”
Government Response and Reforms
The tragedy, which was the third major temple incident in Andhra Pradesh that year, led to swift government action:
- Compensation: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister’s office announced an ex-gratia payment for the families of the deceased and the injured.
- Inquiry Ordered: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu ordered a full-fledged inquiry and directed district officials to oversee relief work.
- New SOPs Mandated: Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan and the Endowments Minister announced that the state will now formulate a comprehensive Safety Checklist and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which will be applied to all temples (including private establishments) to mandate safety protocols and crowd management during festivals.
- Temple Barred: The Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple premises were immediately closed to the public pending the completion of the investigation.
The tragedy has underscored the urgent need for structural safety and mandatory crowd regulation across all places of worship in the region.