Hyderabad, Telangana: Telangana BJP spokesperson NV Subhash on Friday expressed deep sorrow and condolences over the tragic stampede at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga, Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, which claimed several lives of devotees who had gathered for darshan on the occasion of Ekadashi.
In a statement, Subhash said, “Telangana BJP expresses deep condolences to the persons and to the families who have lost their lives on a pilgrimage tour to Kasibugga Temple in Srikakulam. Today, being Ekadashi, many devotees wanted to have a darshan. Though this is a private temple, the authorities as well as trustees did not even anticipate the kind of crowd.”
He pointed out that the temple, being relatively new, lacked sufficient crowd management arrangements. “What we understand is that the trustees and officials could not make any arrangements. However, we express our deep sorrow and condolences to the families who have lost their lives,” he said.
Subhash also noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed his condolences and announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
Urging for preventive measures to avoid such tragedies in the future, the BJP leader appealed to temple managements and local authorities to take greater precautions during the festive season. “Many people from different parts of the country visit temples during these auspicious days. So, they should make elaborate arrangements anticipating a huge crowd. But this is not the time to play politics,” he emphasized.
He further appealed to the Andhra Pradesh government to take cognisance of the incident and ensure that temple authorities, police, and revenue departments coordinate effectively to manage devotees’ safety and prevent such unfortunate incidents from recurring.
