Sixth stampede of 2025: Srikakulam tragedy pushes India’s toll to 114, second highest in years

The Kasibugga stampede is the latest in a string of deadly incidents this year.

India has recorded at least 114 deaths in stampedes so far this year, the second-highest toll in recent years. The latest incident at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district on Saturday, where nine devotees, including eight women and a child, lost their lives, marks the sixth such tragedy in 2025.

In January, 30 people died at the Mahakumbh; in February, 18 were killed at the New Delhi Railway Station. Goa’s Shirgao village saw seven deaths during the Lairai Jatra festival; 11 fans died in June amid celebrations of RCB’s IPL victory in Bengaluru; and 39 people were killed in Karur, Tamil Nadu, during a rally organised by actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

Experts cited in a Times of India report state that these tragedies expose India’s chronic gaps in crowd control, risk assessment, and emergency response. Despite repeated disasters, many organisers still fail to coordinate with police or enforce safety measures, turning mass gatherings into potential death traps.

In 2024, India recorded 123 deaths in stampedes, most of them in the Hathras disaster in Uttar Pradesh, where 116 devotees were crushed during a religious event led by self-styled godman Narayan Sakar Hari. This year’s tally of 114 deaths suggests that despite growing awareness, little progress has been made in preventing one of India’s most avoidable public tragedies.

The Kasibugga stampede is the latest in a string of deadly incidents this year.

According to officials, the incident occurred when a steel railing collapsed amid a rush of devotees gathered for ‘Ekadasi’, which coincided with the holy ‘Karthika Masam’. The temple, built on an elevated floor with a narrow staircase and single entry-exit point, could not handle the crowd surge, leading to panic and chaos as people fell over one another.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, expressing grief over the tragedy, ordered a full-fledged inquiry and announced Rs 15 lakh compensation for the families of those killed and ₹3 lakh for the injured. Visiting Minister Nara Lokesh confirmed that nearly 30 people were being treated for fractures and breathing difficulties.

Police said the temple’s owner, 95-year-old Mukunda Panda, had built and opened the shrine without formal permission and had failed to inform authorities about the event, violating norms under the Public Safety Act.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and announced ₹2 lakh ex-gratia from the PMNRF for the deceased and Rs 2,000 for the injured.

The Srikakulam stampede once again exposes the recurring pattern of preventable crowd disasters across the country, despite repeated warnings and inquiries after similar incidents in the past.