Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his profound grief over the tragic loss of life in the stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Kasibugga, Srikakulam district. He extended his heartfelt wishes for a swift recovery to all those injured. In a compassionate gesture, the Prime Minister announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh to the families of each deceased and ₹50,000 to those who sustained injuries, sourced from the PM’s National Relief Fund. On X (formerly Twitter), the Prime Minister conveyed his deep sorrow, stating that his thoughts were with all who had lost loved ones in the devastating incident.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also took to X, expressing his profound shock at the lives claimed by the stampede. He offered his sincerest condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the swift recuperation of the injured. Similarly, BJP National President and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda conveyed his dismay over the incident and wished a quick recovery to all affected.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, speaking at the NTR Bharosa pensions’ distribution event in Sri Satya Sai district, asserted that the tragedy could have been prevented had local police been notified about the large gathering beforehand, allowing for adequate security and crowd control measures. He vowed to take strict action against all parties found responsible for the lapse.
In a press release, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan conveyed his deep sorrow over the fatalities in the stampede, attributing the disaster to insufficient crowd management. He directed Endowments Department officials to implement stringent queue management protocols at temples during festivals and other busy periods. Kalyan also emphasized the need for special provisions to ensure the safety and comfort of women, children, and the elderly, as well as the proactive deployment of police, medical, and paramedical teams for potential emergencies.
Minister for IT and HRD, Nara Lokesh, expressed his horror at the stampede, reassuring the public that the government would provide full support to the victims. Other ministers, including Vangalapudi Anitha, K. Atchannaidu, T.G. Bharat, Gottipati Ravi Kumar, Kondapalli Srinivas, Anagani Satya Prasad, and Kolusu Parthasarathy, also voiced their shock and extended wishes for the speedy recovery of those injured.
BJP State President P.V.N. Madhav shared his dismay and sorrow regarding the incident, calling for a thorough government inquiry into the stampede and urging comprehensive support for all victims.
YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed his shock and sorrow over the lives lost in the stampede, directly holding the current government accountable for the catastrophe. In a press release, he pointed to previous incidents, noting that six devotees died during a Vaikuntha Ekadasi stampede in Tirupati, and seven others perished in a similar event at the Simhachalam temple.
Reddy sharply criticized the administration, stating, “Despite repeated tragedies, the government failed to implement proper precautions and acted with utter negligence. The loss of innocent lives starkly reflects the inefficiency of Chandrababu Naidu’s administration.” He concluded by emphatically urging the government to adopt serious corrective measures to prevent any recurrence of such incidents.