GUNTUR: A stampede-like situation led to the death of three women after a political event in Andhra Pradesh. It was the second such incident in the state where people died in rallies organised by the Telegu Desam Party under the leadership of the former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.
The event was organised by the party as a part of Chandrababu Naidu's campaign for the state elections in the coming year. After the public meeting was over and the party leader left, local members of the party started the distribution of sarees among the women. These sarees were given as Sankranti gifts from the ex-CM of the state. Sankranti is the harvest festival of the state and will be organised after two weeks.
According to reports about 4000 women gathered at the venue to claim their gifts. Proper barricading was done to control the crowds and maintain the controlled movement of the people. The problem happened when one of the barricades made its way and led to a stampede. This led to the death of three women and the injury of many more.
Chandrababu Naidu has announced a competition of Rs 5 lakhs to the families of the dead women and termed the incident as extremely unfortunate.
In a previous incident that took place last Wednesday, a similar incident happened when a concrete slab gave way and several people fall into a sewage canal in the Nellore district of the state. A total of eight people perished in the incident.
While chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy blames the Chandrababu Naidu-led party for the deaths, members of TDP blame the state government for inappropriate security in the event. The police chief of the district however mentioned that the event was given ample police protection. He mentioned that 200 police personnel and helpers were deployed to maintain order in the event and the problem was a result of the collapse of the barricade.
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