7 dead, several injured in stampede-like situation at Chandrababu Naidu rally
TDP chief and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu immediately stopped his speech and rushed to the hospital to call on the victims. He said he was shocked at the incident and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.
HYDERABAD: Seven people were killed and six others injured when they fell in an open drain in a stampede-like situation at Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu rally in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district late on Wednesday, party leaders said.
Thousands of people and TDP activists were at the rally in Nellore’s Kandukuru town when the incident took place at about 8pm.
“Massive crowds surged forward to listen to Naidu’s speech. This resulted in a stampede-like situation and some of the people who were standing near Gundamkatta drainage outlet lost control and fell into the open drain,” a party leader said.
The party workers and local police swung into action and took up the rescue operation.
“Since the people fell one over the other, seven people suffocated to death and six others sustained serious injuries. Police took the injured people to the nearby hospital,” the TDP leader cited above said.
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Naidu immediately stopped his speech and rushed to the hospital to call on the victims. He said he was shocked at the incident and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.
He announced ex gratia of ₹10 lakh to each of the families of the deceased. “It is very unfortunate that seven people had lost their lives. We shall stand by their families,” the TDP president said.
The deceased were identified as Devineni Ravindra Babu from Atmakur, Kalavakuri Yanadi of Kondamudusupalem, Yatagiri Vijaya from Ulavapadu), Kakumani Raja from Kandukuru, Maralapai Chinna Kondaiah from Gullapalem and P Purushottam from Kandukuru.
He also announced that the TDP would provide free education to the children of the deceased. He said the public rally was cancelled and observed a two-minute silence as a mark of condolence for the dead.