AMARAVATI: At least eight TDP (Telugu Desam Party) workers were killed while three others suffered severe injuries in a stampede during party chief N Chandrababu Naidu's roadshow at Kandukur in Nellore district on Wednesday night.
Two of the victims were reportedly women. Following the tragedy, Naidu was forced to cancel the roadshow for the day.
The former chief minister was on a three-day tour of Nellore district as part of his `Idem Karma Manarashtraniki' protest against the YSR Congress Party (YSRC) government. On Wednesday, Naidu launched the roadshow in Kandukur town.
According to sources, two rival groups within the party mobilised a good number of cadres and activists for the roadshow. People were brought from Ongole and other rural parts of the districts by the two leaders.
As the roadshow reached NTR Circle, Naidu started to address the gathering. At the time, the crowd jostled to get closer to Naidu's vehicle leading to a commotion. Police said several people who were crammed near the Gundamkatta open drainage canal fell into the drain.
Though the drain was not a deep one, people fell on one another leading to suffocation and injuries to several. Party cadres immediately pulled those who fell into the drain but two people, out of the twenty, who fell into the drain, had died by then, police said.
At least nine others were shifted to a nearby hospital where the doctors administered CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and first aid. Later five people succumbed to their injuries.
Naidu stopped his roadshow mid-way and rushed to the hospital where he interacted with the doctors and enquired about the health condition of the injured. He announced Rs 10 lakh financial assistance to the next of kin of the deceased. He said the party will extend all possible support to these families.
Though several roadshows and meetings were held at the NTR Circle, this time the situation went out of hand and as the canal does not have a protection wall, people fell into the canal, police said.
Six of the victims have been identified as Devineni Ravindra Babu (Atmakur), K Yanadi (Atmakur), Y Vijay (Ulavapadu), K Raja (Kandukur), M Chinakondaiah (Gullapalem) and Purushotham (Kandukur).