PremiumThree people died and several others were injured during a public meeting held by TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu in Guntur district on Sunda as reported by news agency ANI, citing Arif Hafeez, SP Guntur.
Earlier, eight persons had died in a stampede during a programme organised by the TDP in Kandukur town in Nellore district. The victims, including two women died and eight others were injured on Wednesday after they fell in a drainage canal when the Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu was addressing a roadshow there. People gathered in large numbers at the venue and there was some jostling among the public during the meeting, leading to a stampede-like situation at the canal, they had said based on initial information. Some of the injured are undergoing treatment in hospital. Naidu, who immediately cancelled the meeting, announced ₹10 lakh to the kin of the deceased.
He also visited the hospital where the injured were being treated. He also asked the TDP leaders to ensure better medical care to the injured. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacting to the incident, said he was pained by the mishap and announced ₹two lakh ex-gratia to the kin of the deceased and ₹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 ₹2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased and the injured would be given ₹50,000," PMO India said in a tweet.