VIJAYAWADA: Following the incidents of stampedes in Nellore and Guntur districts claiming the lives of 11 persons, the State government has issued orders prohibiting the conduct of public meetings and rallies on national and state highways and also on municipal and panchayat roads.
Citing the Kandukur incident on December 28, 2022, where eight persons died in a stampede, Principal Secretary (Home) Harish Kumar Gupta issued a government order prohibiting rallies and public meetings on roads under the provisions of the Police Act, 1861.
"Processions which pass through the public streets and public roads, as well as assemblies, are regulated under the Act on the touchstone of ensuring access to the general public to such roads and streets, public safety and public peace,'' the statement read.
The Opposition parties, however, opposed the issuance of govt order prohibiting election rallies and public meetings as undemocratic and against the fundamental right of peaceful assembly.
The stampedes at Kandukur in Nellore and Guntur city took place during the meetings attended by TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and both tragedies took place in a span of less than a week.