Nellore stampede
Nellore(AP): As many as eight people lost their lives after a scuffle broke out between party workers during a public meeting being held by party leader Naidu in Kandukuru of Andhra Pradesh's Nellore on Wednesday. Here are the latest developments in the tragic incident so far:
- The number of casualties in the Nellore stampede rose to eight on Thursday. The deaths were caused during a roadshow held by the Leader of Opposition and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Chief N Chandrababu Naidu in Nellore district on Wednesday night. While seven died by the time they reached the hospital, one person died while receiving treatment. Five other people, who were severely injured are currently under treatment.
- The incident was triggered when some people in the audience fell in a drainage canal while Naidu was addressing the roadshow at the NTR circle in Kandukur. People gathered in large numbers at the venue went haywire leading to a stampede-like situation.
- The panic further triggered pushing and shoving among the people, with some of them consequently falling off their bikes and scooters and some disturbances in the parking area. The stampede was triggered just a few minutes after the leader started speaking even though he had been cautioning the crowd to maintain proper demeanor and not to climb the poles of flexes there.
- Naidu immediately stalled the show, while 13 people who were seriously injured were rushed to the Kandakuru government hospital by the authorities. Seven of them were declared dead on arrival, while one more person succumbed to his injuries this morning. Two of the deceased were women. The doctors at Kandukur government hospital on Thursday handed over the bodies to their families.
- Speaking to the media on Thursday, N Chandrababu Naidu said that he is very sorry about the incident in which eight of his party workers lost their lives after a scuffle broke out in Nellore district. "This is a sad incident. I'm feeling very sorry about it," he said while addressing the media.
- Naidu also announced Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the kin of the deceased. He also visited the hospital where the injured were being treated and asked the TDP leaders to ensure better medical care to the injured. He said that the children of the victims will be educated in NTR Trust educational institutions.
- Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences and announced Rs two lakh ex-gratia to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those injured. "Pained by the mishap at a public meeting in Nellore, AP. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased and the injured would be given Rs 50,000," he tweeted.
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed shock over the stampede incident. The Chief Minister, who is in the national capital on an official visit, expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and announced an ex-gratia of ₹ 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and ₹ 50,000 each to the injured. He instructed the officials to extend necessary support to the victims' families.
- Meanwhile, Nellore SP Vijaya Rao on Thursday said that the police are investigating the case from all angles."We are investigating the case from all angles. Soon we will find the exact cause. It might have happened due to the huge crowd. After getting postmortem reports, we will do further probe," Rao said.
- The deceased have been identified as Chinakondaiah (52), U Purushottam (70), Kakumani Raja (48), Devineni Ravindrababu (73), Yakasiri Vijaya (45), Idumuri Rajeshwari (40), Kalavakuri Yanadi (55), and Gadda Madhubabu (44). These people were residents of nearby cities and towns.
