(MENAFN- Live Mint) A crush at a privately run Venkateswara Swamy temple in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh claimed the lives of nine devotees and left over 25 injured on Saturday morning.

Following the tragic incident, Hari Mukund Panda, the 94-year-old founder of the temple, asserted that he bears no responsibility for the incident, claiming that worshippers had rushed forward of their own accord during the gathering.

He further stated that he had not notified the police, as he believed the proceedings would be routine, as on any other day, and had not anticipated such a large turnout on Saturday.

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Nine individuals - eight women and one boy - were killed, and numerous others were injured in the crush at the temple, which Panda had constructed on his own land in Srikakulam District.

The tragedy was compounded by the fact that the Ekadasi observance coincided with 'Karthika Masam', which traditionally attracts immense crowds.

"What should I do if so many people come at once? I usually send everyone in line but yesterday there were so many people. I don't know what happened, I did not inform any police," temple priest Mukunda Panda told PTI videos.

"I did not inform the police. I have courage, I told everyone to go in a queue line. People came for darshan - what can I do if they rushed and the situation turned like this?” Mukunda Panda asked while speaking to the media.

Panda further said that he remained on the premises until 3 p.m. without taking lunch, even after the police arrived and brought the crowd under control.

The temple, owned by the priest Mukunda Panda, had neither been granted change of use for non-agricultural purposes nor registered with the Endowments Department. Furthermore, the organisers neglected to inform local police ahead of the event, Srikakulam District Superintendent of Police, KV Maheshwara Reddy, told PTI.

The SP confirmed that the temple's organisers neither sought the requisite mandatory permissions nor applied for police protection prior to holding the event. The Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple is a private establishment operating without the necessary approvals, and the organisers reportedly failed to comply with safety protocols.

Also Read | Andhra stampede: Private temple owner responsible? Here's what police said

Meanwhile, police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The Venkateswara Swamy temple, located at Kasibugga under Palasa mandal and modelled on the Tirumala shrine in Tirupati, was built by Hari Mukund Panda from Odisha and opened just four months ago.

One gate serving as both entry and exit, poor crowd control, and lack of official clearance turned the pilgrimage into chaos.

“Nobody is responsible - it was an act of god,” Panda said.

"I built the temple on my private land. Why should I inform the police or administration?" Panda asked, according to an NDTV report.

Blaming the temple authorities for the tragedy, AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said on Saturday if he (Panda) had informed the police earlier, they could have made arrangements to manage the crowd.

Naidu also assured strict action in the case.

"You may book multiple cases. I have no issues," Panda asserted.

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