Nellore (Andhra Pradesh): At least eight people, including two women, died in a stampede during a road show of TDP chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in Kandukur area of Nellore district on Wednesday night. Five others were seriously injured. There was a scramble as the party activists and sympathisers flocked to Chandrababu's rally in large numbers.
AP Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock over the tragic stampede and announced Rs 2 lakh ex gratia each to the kin of the deceased and another Rs 50,000 to the injured. In a statement, the AP CM instructed the officials to provide all necessary assistance to the families of the victims.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the stampede deaths and announced ex gratia. In a tweet, he said, "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."
The tragic incident took place when huge crowds of people from surrounding villages arrived at the NTR circle in Kandukur town and waiting for Chandrababu's public meeting there. Meanwhile, another crowd of party supporters came following Chandrababu's convoy in a rally. This resulted in a heavy stampede at Gundamkatta Veedhi street.
In the pushing and shoving, many have fallen on the bikes and scooters parked on the roadside. Others have fallen on them, leading to their death due to suffocation. The stampede took place within a few minutes of Chandrababu beginning his speech. From the beginning, the TDP chief has been cautioning the crowd not to become over excited and urging the activists not to climb on to the poles of flexis there.
In the scramble, some other activists have fallen in the side drain and suffered injuries. The stampede spot turned chaotic and littered with slippers and belongings of the victims. The injured persons were immediately rushed to various hospitals in the town. Over 13 persons were hospitalised in the incident.
The doctors confirmed that eight of those who were rushed to the hospital in an unconscious state were dead. The deceased have been identified as Chinakondaiah (aged 52 years), a resident of Ammavaripalem; U Purushottam (70), a resident of Gullapalem; Kakumani Raja (48), a resident of Gurramvaripalem; Devineni Ravindrababu (73), a resident of Atmakuru; Yakasiri Vijaya (45), a resident of Orugusenupalem; Idumuri Rajeshwari (40), a resident of Kandukur; Kalavakuri Yanadi (55), a resident of Kondamudusu; and Gadda Madhubabu (44), a resident of Oguru. Five others were critically injured. They are undergoing treatment.
Following the incident, Chandrababu stopped his speech and instructed his party leaders to take care of the stampede victims. He called on the injured persons at the hospital. "Financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh per family has been announced. The funeral of the dead will be conducted on behalf of the party," Naidu said. He said that the children of the victims will be educated in NTR Trust educational institutions.
