&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'How am I at fault?': Andhra temple founder denies poor management concerns, blames devotees for stampede that killed 9")
Harimukund Panda, founder of Venkateswara Swamy Temple, has sought to absolve himself of blame for the tragic stampede, which on November 1 killed nine people and injured many others. In a statement, he blamed the large turnout of devotees on Ekadashi celebrations for the mishap instead of the management, coldly saying, "there was nothing we could do". Nine people, including a child, were killed in a stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga, Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday.
Large crowd to blame?
The tragedy unfolded during Ekadashi celebrations, when thousands of devotees turned up at the private shrine in Srikakulam district, overwhelming the limited space and crowd-control arrangements. Harimukund Panda, the 95-year-old founder and head priest of the temple, denied responsibility for the disaster, saying the situation spiralled out of control due to an unexpectedly large turnout. Speaking to reporters, Panda, as per ANI, said, "Yesterday, I told the devotees to go inside the temple, but suddenly a large number of devotees came together at a time and we could not control it."
He also admitted that temple authorities had not informed the police or local administration about the event. "We have not provided any information to the police... Whenever I am there, usually devotees enter there one by one and worship..." he said, brushing aside allegations of negligence. "There's no need to inform the police every week for control purposes, as we usually manage things ourselves. The devotees generally listen to us. However, yesterday we were unable to control the crowd - we hadn't expected such a large turnout."
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When asked about the possibility of legal action, Panda replied coldly, "Let them put a case on me. What can I do ? So many people come, and they will put a case on me?". He also said, "if so many people come at once, how am I at fault?".
Eyewitnesses blame poor management
Eyewitnesses and survivors, however, pointed to poor management and the lack of basic safety measures. They said the temple had only one narrow gate serving as both entry and exit, creating a deadly bottleneck as crowds tried to move in and out simultaneously. With no barricades or police presence, panic spread quickly.
Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh called the incident "deeply unfortunate" and said the stampede was caused by "an unknown amount of rush" that led to suffocation and chaos. "Being Ekadashi, like never before, pilgrims came here. They wanted to take the blessings of the Lord," he said.
