Durgapur/Thakurnagar (West Bengal): Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his speech at a rally here in North 24 Parganas district, Saturday after a stampede-like situation broke out at the venue in which many people were injured. Several women and children suffered injuries, a senior police officer said.
While Modi was addressing the well-attended rally of the Matua community, hundreds of his supporters standing outside the venue tried to barge into the inner ring of the rally ground, leading to the chaos, the officer said.
The hue and cry resulted in a security scare and senior police and SPG officials tried to stop people from crossing the barricade and enter the no-man’s security zone.
Later, police officials formed a human chain to stop people from going near the stage, from where the Prime Minster was addressing the crowd.
Modi tried to pacify the crowd by asking them to stay put in their places and stop trying to come to the front of the inner ring. However, his pleas went unheard as the supporters started throwing chairs inside the no-man’s zone in front of the stage to make space for others to stand.
Following the commotion, Modi abruptly cut short his speech, stating he had another rally to attend and decided to leave the venue.
Several women and children fainted during the stampede-like situation and were rushed to the hospital for primary treatment, the police officer informed.
Modi later apologised for the discomfort caused to the people. “I sympathise with you and also apologise for the incident,” Modi said at another rally at the Nehru Stadium in Durgapur.
The incident brought back memories of Modi’s rally in West Midnapore district July 16 last year when a make-shift stage collapsed leading to injuries to several persons.
PTI