At least three persons were killed in a stampede at an event attended by TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur, where a huge crowd had gathered on Sunday to get the 'Sankranti Kanuka' (special ration kits).
The incident occurred after Naidu left the venue. The injured were rushed to Government General Hospital, Guntur. According to the police, all the deceased were women.
Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock over the stampede, leading to the loss of lives in Guntur. He instructed administration officials to ensure that quality medical care is provided to those injured. TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased.
"Three people died and several were injured during a public meeting held by TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu in Guntur district," Arif Hafeez, SP Guntur said.
According to news agency ANI, one of the injured, Siva Parvathi, said, "Nobody cares about our lives. The TDP leaders called us for the meeting and told us that they would give us gifts. We were waiting for the gifts. Many people were injured in the stampede. Nobody came to our rescue during the stampede. Instead of getting gifts, people were deceased."
The stampede occurred just days after a similar incident at the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader's Nellore roadshow last week. Eight persons, including two women, lost their lives in the stampede, during a road show by the former Chief Minister in Kandukur, Nellore district.
Five persons were also injured in the incident, which occurred when a large number of people gathered to catch a glimpse of the Leader of Opposition and fell into a drain.
The TDP will pay an ex gratia of Rs 24 lakh each to the next of the kin of the eight persons who were killed in the stampede.
The TDP, which initially announced Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the dead, increased the amount to Rs 15 lakh on Thursday. Eleven party leaders have announced another Rs 9 lakh each to the next of the kin of the deceased.