Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu along with Kinjarapu, Minister of State Nara Lokesh on Saturday visited a hospital in Srikakulam to meet the injured after the stampede at the Venkateswara Swamy temple in Andhra Pradesh in which nine people were killed. Both the ministers also talked to doctors.
Police officials said on Saturday that the stampede took place at a privately built, unregistered temple, where the organizers had neither taken prior permission nor informed the authorities about the event.
According to officials, the accident occurred when an iron grill fell, causing many devotees to fall from a height of about seven feet. At that time, around 3,000 to 5,000 people were present in the temple premises for the religious event. The condition of two of the injured is said to be critical.
Srikakulam Superintendent of Police KV Maheshwar Reddy told ANI that the incident occurred within the limits of Kasibugga police station.
Reddy said, “A total of nine people lost their lives, including eight women and a boy. There was a queue; only one queue was used for entry and exit. The iron grill broke and people fell to the ground from about seven feet below, causing the accident.”
He confirmed that the Sri Venkateshwara Swamy temple was built on private land without any registration or official monitoring.
Reddy said, “This is a private temple, where a private person has constructed it on his private land. He has not taken any permission nor informed the local police about today’s event.”
He told that as soon as information about the stampede was received, the police reached the spot.
He said, “When we got the information in the morning, we sent police force, but by then it was too late as there was no prior information from the temple person who organized the event. As a result, no contact could be made yesterday or today. We sent police force as soon as we got the information.”
SP Reddy said that the situation is now under control. He further said, “The situation is peaceful now. Around 3,000-3,500 people were present here. Only two are in critical condition, while the condition of the rest of the injured is stable.”
Earlier in the day, President Draupadi Murmu said in a post on Twitter that she was “shocked to learn about the deaths” and expressed her “deepest condolences” to the bereaved families.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Several injured devotees were taken to nearby hospitals and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
