NEW DELHI: At least six people were crushed to death at a Hindu religious gathering in India, with several more injured, officials said on Thursday.

A huge crowd had gathered to collect entrance tokens to visit the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh when the stampede broke out on Wednesday.

“The unfortunate incident... has claimed the lives of six devotees. I pray to god to give peace to the departed souls,” Prem Kumar Jain, spokesman of the state’s ruling Telugu Desam Party, told reporters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to the families of the deceased.

“My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones,” his office said on social media platform X. Deadly accidents are common at places of worship in India during major religious festivals due to poor crowd management and safety lapses.

In July last year, 121 people were killed in northern Uttar Pradesh state during a Hindu religious gathering.

Another 112 people died in 2016 after a huge explosion caused by a banned fireworks display marking the Hindu new year at a temple in southern Kerala state.

Wednesday’s incident comes days before the start of the Kumbh Mela, a six-week Hindu festival of prayer and sacred bathing expected to be the largest religious gathering in history.

Up to 400 million pilgrims are expected to attend, according to organisers.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2025