Simhachalam Wall Collapse: YS Jagan to Meet Bereaved Families Today

The TDP-led NDA government has come under severe criticism after eight devotees were killed and several others injured in a wall collapse at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Simhachalam during the annual Chandanotsavam festival. The tragedy occurred in the early hours of Wednesday.

Political opponents, including the YSRCP, have accused the government of focusing on VIP darshans instead of ensuring proper crowd management measures for common devotees.

YSRCP President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed grief over the tragedy. The former Chief Minister will visit the bereaved families of the devotees who died in the wall collapse in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday (April 30). Jagan is expected to reach Vizag around 3 p.m.

Terming the incident unfortunate, BJP leader PVN Madhav said devotees began forming a beeline for the Nija Rupa Darshan of the deity around 2 a.m. “With torrential rains lashing the Port City around 2.30 am, the wall might have collapsed as it was built only 20 days ago,” he explained. He asserted that the NDA government will launch a thorough inquiry into who constructed the wall and ensure the bereaved families are adequately compensated.

The incident reportedly occurred shortly after the temple's hereditary trustee, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, offered silk robes to the deity as part of the traditional ritual.

Pointing out that the Chandrababu Naidu government has repeatedly failed in organizing large-scale religious events, YSRCP leaders recalled past tragedies where several devotees died in the Tirupati and Pushkaram stampedes.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has announced an ex-gratia of ₹25 lakh for the kin of the deceased and ₹3 lakh for the injured. However, YSRCP leaders have demanded ₹1 crore as ex-gratia for the bereaved families.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) shared a post on X (formerly Twitter), expressing sorrow over the loss of lives in Simhachalam. “Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of a wall in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon,” the post read.

Additionally, an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was announced for the next of kin of each deceased, and ₹50,000 for the injured.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) strongly criticized the NDA government in Andhra Pradesh. It demanded that Visakhapatnam District Collector and Utsav Committee in-charge Ramachandra Mohan be held accountable for the tragedy. VHP State Math-Mandir representative Pudipeddi Sharma accused officials of prioritizing VIP arrangements at the expense of general devotees’ safety.