At least nine people, including a child, lost their lives in a stampede on Saturday morning at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple, Kasibugga in Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh, while several others sustained injuries.
According to reports, the tragedy unfolded amid a large crowd of devotees during the morning rush, as a railing near the queue collapsed and people were trampled while trying to move ahead.
The temple complex, spread over 12 acres, draws large numbers of devotees on Saturdays—a factor that the local administration acknowledges may have contributed to the stampede.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep sorrow at the loss of lives, extended condolences to the bereaved families, and urged district officials and lawmakers to visit the site and supervise relief operations.
While rescue and relief work are underway, this incident again raises a dreadful question—why do these tragedies keep happening?
Earlier this year alone, India has witnessed multiple deadly stampedes at religious gatherings and large public assemblies, yet no definitive national plan seems to exist to prevent them.
In 2025, the country had already witnessed a tragic crowd crush at the 2025 Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela (January) with at least 30 deaths reported.
More recently, earlier this year, in Andhra Pradesh alone, three major temple tragedies claimed 22 lives.
Yet, when a sacred space is meant to be a refuge of faith and calm, it too becomes the site of chaos, panic, and tragedy—locations where devotees expect devotion, safety, and sanctuary.
The pattern is chilling large influx of devotees, narrow passageways or faulty infrastructure, inadequate crowd control, and panic that spreads in seconds.
At Kasibugga, video images show devotees crowded close together, many women clutching puja baskets, suffocating as the crush built momentum.
Why, then, do these disasters still occur?
- There is often no comprehensive crowd-management plan tailored for massive gatherings with clear entry and exit routes, contingency zones, medical evacuation routes, and trained staff.
- Infrastructure continues to be inadequate or wrongly planned—narrow lanes, railings that can give way, single bottleneck entry/exits—even in newly inaugurated temples.
- Accountability and follow-through remain weak: inquiries may be ordered, relief may be announced, but systemic reforms rarely appear to be implemented fully across states.
- Often, the sheer scale of the gathering is underestimated, or the event coincides with a high-rush day, yet security arrangements, crowd density limits, and barriers are not adapted accordingly.
- In many cases, besides rituals, other factors like VIP movement, commercial stalls, and inadequate water/medical access amplify the risk.
The Kasibugga stampede is a call to action: faith and devotion should not be overshadowed by fear and death.
It is time for authorities to stop responding only after tragedy strikes—and begin preventing it before it happens.
Among the urgent measures needed:
- Mandate separate entry and exit routes, wide enough for emergency evacuation.
- Limit crowd density per square meter, monitor using sensors or manpower.
- Frequent safety audits of railings, stairways, and corridors before major rush days.
- Install smart crowd-management systems, real-time monitoring, and dedicated first-aid zones.
- Train the temple administration, district authorities, and local police in evacuation drills.
- Engage devotees’ awareness: signage, announcements, marshals guiding movement.
- Make public disclosure of crowd-safety plans and hold temple boards accountable.
Faith should bring solace—not fear. Devotees should be able to move, pray, and leave in safety.
Until we stop treating each disaster as an isolated event and start seeing the systemic vulnerability, we are condemning more lives to tragedy.
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