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Journalism of Courage
When the recently widowed Eduri Chinnama from Rameshwara village in Srikakulam’s Tekkali mandal could not collect enough money to visit the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala to have her hair shaved, she went instead to the newly built Sri Venkateswara Temple at Kashibugga — little anticipating she would lose her life there.
“When she refused our help, someone suggested she visit the Kashibugga temple on the auspicious occasion of Karthik Ekadashi. She had decided to fast until she had darshan and must have felt weak by the time she queued up. She was among the 3-4 women who fell when the railing broke and were trampled upon,” said Swami, a family friend.
The 58-year-old, whose husband had worked as a driver and farm hand, was one of nine people killed in the temple stampede Saturday. Most of the victims were from poor backgrounds — fruit, vegetable and seafood vendors, provision store owners, farm hands, drivers, and construction workers.
“The devotees who come to this temple are mainly from Kashibugga, Palasa, Tekkali, Mandasa, Somepeta, and nearby areas,” Palasa Tehsildhar and Mandal Revenue Officer Kalyan Chakravathy told The Indian Express. “Depending on the season, they work as farm workers, construction labourers, drive leased auto rickshaws, or run small kirana shops. They struggle to make a living. In the last 3-4 months, this Lord Venkateswara temple at Kashibugga had become their place of solace. Here too, they took mokku (vow) to go to Tirumala and sought forgiveness for not being able to.”
Among them was 48-year-old Rapaka Vijaya from Pittalasari village in Tekkali. A vegetable and fruit vendor, she had gone to the temple with her husband after missing a Tirumala trip due to a family emergency. According to a family member, Rao, who was waiting in another queue, tried to reach Vijaya when she fell but lost his own balance in the process.
While he survived and is undergoing treatment, Vijaya died at the hospital.
Muripinti Neelima, 60, and Duvvu Rajeshwari, 60, ran small provision stores on the same street in Dukkavanipeta village in Vajrapukotturu mandal. According to a village official, several villagers had planned to go to the Kashibugga temple, and the two women joined them, having not visited Tirumala in over 30 years. Their husbands stayed back.
The other victims — Chinni Uasodamma, 56; G. Rupa; Lotla Nihil, 13; Dokkara Amulamma; and Bora Brunda — also came from socially and economically backward communities. “Depending on the season, they switch from fishing near the Srikakulam coast and selling fish wholesale to selling vegetables or plastic items in local markets,” an official said.
Sources in the TDP-led NDA government said heads are likely to roll after Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu asked Srikakulam District Collector Swapnil Dinkar and Superintendent of Police K.V.M. Reddy how they missed anticipating the large turnout and why crowd-control measures were not in place.
The district collector has set up a three-member inquiry team to conduct a thorough probe and submit a report immediately. Tekkali Revenue Development Officer M. Krishnamurthy, Srikakulam Assistant SP K.V. Ramana, and Endowments Department Assistant Commissioner Prasad Patnaik are part of the team, along with local police and other officials assisting the investigation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 to those injured from the PM’s National Relief Fund.
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