India has recorded at least 114 deaths in stampedes so far this year, the second-highest toll in recent years. The latest incident at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district on Saturday, where nine devotees, including eight women and a child, lost their lives, marks the sixth such tragedy in 2025.

In January, 30 people died at the Mahakumbh; in February, 18 were killed at the New Delhi Railway Station. Goa’s Shirgao village saw seven deaths during the Lairai Jatra festival; 11 fans died in June amid celebrations of RCB’s IPL victory in Bengaluru; and 39 people were killed in Karur, Tamil Nadu, during a rally organised by actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

Experts cited in a Times of India report state that these tragedies expose India

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