(MENAFN- AsiaNet News)

Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha on Sunday called for additional measures to prevent stampede-like incidents in the country, raising questions about the stampede at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam. He inquired about the absence of a Standard Operating Procedure during the Venkateswara Swamy Temple stampede, noting that in the country, managing the crowd is often more challenging than gathering it. "I repeatedly say that we have created a situation in this country where gathering a crowd is not difficult, but managing the crowd is difficult. Why is there no SOP for crowd management which should be there...Something should be done so that this does not happen in the future," Manoj Jha told ANI.

Tragedy in Srikakulam: 9 Dead in Stampede

Nine people, including atleast one child died after a stampede occurred in the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam district. The heavy rush of devotees led to overcrowding, resulting in a sudden stampede. The injured were immediately shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Investigation Reveals Major Lapses

According to the police, the incident occurred at a privately built, unregistered shrine where the organisers had neither obtained prior permission nor informed authorities about the event.

According to officials, the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga is a private temple that is not registered with the Endowments Department. The temple reportedly had only a single entry and exit point, leading to severe congestion as large crowds gathered to offer prayers on the occasion of Ekadashi. Authorities said that the organisers had not obtained the necessary permissions for the event, and the heavy rush led to overcrowding, resulting in the fatal stampede. Several injured devotees were rushed to nearby hospitals, and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

PM Modi Announces Compensation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed condolences and announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the kin of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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