Andhra Pradesh CM 'shocked' over Guntur stampede

Amaravati, Jan 1: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday expressed shock over the stampede at Guntur which claimed lives of three women.

He instructed the officials to ensure quality medicare to those injured and stand by the families of deceased.

Three women were killed and 13 others injured in the stampede during distribution of Sankranti gifts by the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

The stampede, which happened after TDP President and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had left the venue after launching the programme, occured in one of the counters set up for distribution of kits. Some women tried to surge forward. As the barricade collapsed, women fell on each other.

A woman died on the spot while two others succumbed at Government General Hospital.

Home Minister V. Rajini, who visited the hospital, blamed Naidu for the deaths. She alleged that people were losing lives due to his publicity tricks.

This is the second such incident at a TDP programme in less than a week.

Eight persons were killed during Naidu's road show in Kandukur town of Nellore district on December 28.

Jagan Mohan Reddy had slammed Naidu for the incident and remarked that his craze for publicity cost human lives.

The ruling YSR Congress Party alleged that Naidu is organising road shows and public meetings in narrow lanes to show that large number of people were attending his programmes.

-