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. Also Read | Video shows stampede at Andhra temple during Ekadashi rituals, 7 killed

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 t

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