On April 30, 2025, a sacred day turned deadly at Simhachalam temple in Visakhapatnam when a shoddily constructed wall collapsed during the Chandanotsavam festival, killing seven devotees and injuring over a dozen. This was no mere accident, it was a massacre orchestrated by the coalition government’s gross negligence, led by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, and Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha. Contractor Lakshmana Rao’s chilling testimony before a probe committee exposed the government’s reckless pressure to build a doomed wall, cementing its guilt. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, standing with the victims, has demanded justice, exposing a regime that sacrifices lives for political gain. The Simhachalam tragedy is a damning indictment of a government that betrays both the divine and the devoted.
A deadly collapse
In the early hours of April 30, around 3:05 AM, a 70-foot-long, 10-foot-high wall near Simhachalam’s ghat road crumbled under rain and wind, burying devotees in the Rs. 300 ticket queue near a shopping complex. Built in just four days with flimsy fly ash bricks, the wall lacked pillars, concrete, or structural integrity, swaying like a banner before collapsing. Seven lives were lost, including four from one family in Chandrampalem, Madhurawada: software engineers P. Uma Maheswara Rao (30) and P. Shailaja (27), Shailaja’s mother Paila Venkata Ratnam (45), and her aunt Gujjari Mahalakshmi (65). Other victims were Kumpatla Manikantha Eswara Sesharao (29), Patti Durga Swaminayudu (30), and Edla Venkata Rao (58). Over a dozen were injured, some battling for life at King George Hospital (KGH).
Families were devastated. “The government killed our son and daughter-in-law, who ensured our family voted for TDP,” wept Uma’s parents, Appalanaidu and Shanti. Another relative mourned, “I was planning my son’s wedding.” These were not just names but dreamers—Uma and Shailaja hoped to settle abroad, while Durga Swaminayudu envisioned a thriving business. Their aspirations were crushed by a government’s incompetence.
Contractor’s Testimony: A Government’s Failure Exposed
Contractor Lakshmana Rao’s testimony before the probe committee laid bare the coalition’s criminal negligence. Tasked with building the wall under the PRASAD scheme, Rao revealed shocking truths: “With Chandanotsavam approaching, I told temple and tourism officials I couldn’t build the wall due to limited time. They pressured me relentlessly, insisting it was a temporary structure. I warned that a proper wall in six days was impossible, yet we started work just four days before the festival.” Rao’s admission confirms the government’s reckless haste, prioritizing optics over safety. The use of fly ash bricks without columns or beams, and no quality checks, was a recipe for disaster, directly resulting from officials’ coercion. This testimony is a smoking gun, proving the coalition’s failure to heed warnings and its role in the deaths of seven devotees.
Coalition’s criminal negligence
The government knew 2 lakh devotees would throng Chandanotsavam, yet failed to prepare. A five-member ministerial committee, led by Anitha, was a farce, overseeing nothing while a deadly wall was rushed in four days without tenders or engineering oversight. Devotees reported the wall’s instability, but officials ignored them. Why was it built so hastily? Why were no drainage pipes installed despite known rainfall? The answer lies in a regime that awards contracts to unqualified cronies, as alleged by YSRCP, ensuring profits over lives.
The absence of a regular Executive Officer (EO) exacerbated the chaos. With the regular EO, V. Trinatha Rao, on leave, an in-charge EO, K. Subbarao, was a figurehead, allowing TDP leaders to control ticket sales and VIP darshans while neglecting ordinary devotees. Queues stretched 5–8 hours, and insufficient buses forced many to walk the ghat road, exposing them to danger. Rescue efforts were delayed—officials arrived 25 minutes after the 3:05 AM collapse, with NDRF and SDRF teams taking longer, leaving devotees trapped under debris due to the absence of ambulances or paramedics.
Leaders’ heartless absence
While families grieved, coalition leaders abandoned them. Naidu was engrossed in Amaravati projects, ignoring the tragedy. Pawan Kalyan, Nara Lokesh, and TDP leaders reveled at TDP leader Devineni Uma’s son’s wedding, indifferent to the wails at KGH mortuary. TDP state president Palla Srinivas Rao vanished, and Visakhapatnam MP Sribharat fled to Delhi after his darshan. Hereditary trustee Ashok Gajapati Raju, just 50 meters away, ignored the chaos, prioritizing rituals over lives. Anitha’s claim, “I don’t know how the wall was built,” was a disgraceful admission of ignorance, exposing a government detached from its duties.
A vile campaign of lies
Instead of supporting families, the coalition launched a disgusting campaign to deflect blame. TDP’s fake news factory, led by Lokesh, flooded social media with false posts blaming YS Jagan’s YSRCP government, referencing unrelated incidents to dodge accountability. TDP-aligned media spun tales of a rogue engineer and past YSRCP projects like Rushikonda Palace, ignoring the coalition’s approval of a wall built days before the festival. Netizens fought back, flooding TDP’s Twitter with comments like, “What does Jagan have to do with your failures?” The public’s rage was clear: the coalition’s lies and authoritarian tactics to silence critics were unforgivable.
Jagan’s call for Justice
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, YSRCP leader and former CM, emerged as the people’s champion. Visiting victims’ families in Chandrampalem, Jagan condemned the coalition’s negligence, declaring, “Chandrababu Naidu is the true culprit. His government’s failure to ensure basic arrangements, despite knowing 2 lakh devotees would attend, is criminal. A wall built in four days under pressure from temple and tourism officials killed seven people. Naidu’s history of devotee deaths—from Tirupati’s stampede to Godavari Pushkaram, shows his contempt for sacred sites.” Jagan demanded Rs. 1 crore compensation per family, vowing, “If this government fails, YSRCP will ensure justice when we return to power.” His press conference exposed the coalition’s lies, questioning why devotees were allowed near a week-old wall and why the ministerial committee failed, earning him praise as the voice of the voiceless.
A Pattern of Desecration
The Simhachalam tragedy, the first fatal incident in Chandanotsavam’s centuries-old history, is part of a chilling pattern under Naidu’s rule. In 11 months, sacred sites have faced atrocities: six deaths in a Tirupati stampede, false claims about Tirumala laddu adulteration, cattle deaths in TTD goshalas, the demolition of Kashi Nayana Ashram, and turtle deaths at Srikurmam temple. Naidu’s past, including 29 deaths in the 2015 Godavari Pushkaram stampede, cements his legacy of negligence. Netizens declared, “Wherever Chandrababu steps, lives are lost,” highlighting a government that disrespects Hindu traditions.
On May 1, Tirupati MP Maddila Gurumoorthy wrote to the Union Home Minister, demanding a Central probe into repeated administrative failures and security lapses at Andhra Pradesh’s major temples. Citing the Simhachalam tragedy, mismanagement at Sri Kurmanatha Swamy Temple with the mysterious deaths of sacred tortoises, and ongoing security breaches at Tirumala, including the January stampede and over 100 cow deaths at TTD Goshala, Gurumoorthy called the situation a “breakdown of governance and accountability.” He urged an impartial inquiry to restore public trust and safeguard these revered institutions, amplifying the growing demand for justice.
Public fury and national grief
Social media erupted with anger, with hashtags like #SimhachalamTragedy trending as citizens demanded accountability. “Why are temple donations not used for safety?” they asked, calling for structural audits and a festival safety commission. CPM’s B. Gangarao and CPI’s Marupilla Paidiraju demanded Rs. 1 crore compensation, permanent jobs, and a judicial probe, echoing public sentiment. President Droupadi Murmu, PM Narendra Modi, and Rahul Gandhi expressed condolences, with Modi announcing Rs. 2 lakh for deceased families and Rs. 50,000 for the injured, paltry sums compared to the loss. Naidu’s Rs. 25 lakh ex-gratia and outsourcing jobs were dismissed as inadequate by families demanding justice.
Demand for accountability
The Simhachalam massacre, confirmed by Lakshmana Rao’s testimony, is a stain on Andhra Pradesh’s soul. The coalition’s pressure on Rao to build a temporary wall in four days, ignoring his warnings, directly caused seven deaths. Naidu, Pawan Kalyan, and Anitha must answer: Who coerced Rao? Why did the ministerial committee fail? Why were families abandoned? The coalition’s lies cannot erase the blood on its hands. As Jagan warned, justice will come. The public demands a judicial probe, Rs. 1 crore compensation, and systemic reforms to protect devotees. Until then, Simhachalam stands as a grim testament to a government that betrays the divine and the devoted.
