Stampedes’ fallout: Andhra Pradesh government bans public rallies on roads, highways

Stating that such meetings on public roads were leading to deaths, besides creating traffic obstructions, the order said police take longer time to bring such situations under control.

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VIJAYAWADA: The State government on Tuesday issued orders prohibiting public meetings and rallies on National and State highways as well as on municipal and panchayat roads. The restrictions came following 11 deaths in two back-to-back incidents of stampedes during political events addressed by  TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in Nellore and Guntur in less than a week.  

Principal Secretary (Home) Harish Kumar Gupta issued the GO directing officials not to allow rallies and public meetings on roads considering the safety of the people. The order observed that public meetings on such roads not only cause inconvenience to commuters but also pose a threat to people’s lives.

“The immediate context is the incident at Kandukur in Nellore on December 28, wherein eight persons died in a stampede, following which a magisterial inquiry has been ordered. It has been noted that during such meetings, where people congregate on road margins, crowd control is not effectively undertaken due to narrow roads, lack of sufficient exit points, sudden movement of the crowd towards the speaker, unregulated number of participants, and last-minute changes to the venue,” the GO read.

Stating that such meetings on public roads were leading to deaths, besides creating traffic obstructions, the order said police take longer time to bring such situations under control. Pointing out that the police is empowered to regulate such activities in public interest, the government said considering the frequency of such meetings organised on public roads, particularly by political parties, the decision to prohibit rallies on highways, municipal and panchayat roads was taken.

Any application can be considered in exceptional circumstances and that the reasons must be recorded in writing, the government said and suggested district officials and police to identify designated places away from public roads for meetings so that they do not obstruct traffic, public movement, emergency services and movement of essentials.