Andhra tightens temple safety after fatal incidents

In the wake of three major temple tragedies in Andhra Pradesh in 2025, Chief Secretary K Vijayanand on Monday directed officials to pay special attention to private temples where a heavy influx of devotees is expected, as several festivals and special occasions are lined up. As many as 22 people died and nearly 100 were injured during the three temple mishaps.

In January, six devotees died and nearly 40 more were injured during a stampede at Bairagi Patteda near MGM School in Tirupati as hundreds of them jostled for tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on Tirumala Hills.

On April 30, seven people, including a couple and two of their relatives, were killed when a rain-soaked wall collapsed at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Simhachalam near Visakhapatnam.

Exactly a month ago, nine devotees died and over two dozen others were injured when a metal staircase railing broke off at Venkateswara temple in Kasibugga.

“Pay special attention to private temples in the state and the heavy influx of devotees. Several festivals and special occasions are lined up in the coming days, and therefore all temples are expected to witness large crowds,” said Vijayanand in an official release.

He directed them to monitor private temples within their jurisdiction and observed that such temple managements must inform officials in advance about the number of devotees expected during festivals and special occasions.

“For effective crowd control, temple authorities must obtain prior permission from the police and ensure that adequate security arrangements are made at the temples. This will help prevent any untoward incidents at the temple premises,” said Vijayanand, calling for crowd control measures and necessary action.

He said a guideline booklet should be prepared and issued to all private temples, detailing the steps to be taken by temple managements and trustees to control crowds during festivals such as Vaikuntha Ekadashi, Dhanurmasam, and other important occasions.

Although the responsibility of management lies with the temple authorities and trustees, a strong bandobust must be ensured during peak crowd times, he said.