One of the sheds at the rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi collapsed as the scaffolding gave in leaving 90 injured at the College Ground in West Midnapore district of West Bengal where over 70,000 people had gathered.
The injured had been rushed to Midnapore Medical College and Hospital where they have been admitted with two in serious condition. The rest had been released after primary treatment. The injured included women and children.
"Out of the 90 admitted to the hospital, 66 were male and 24 female. 14 people were discharged after first aid and now 66 are being treated with two seriously injured," said Panchanan Kundu, Principal of Midnapore Medical College Hospital.
The incident happened while Modi was delivering his speech and the structure came down with a huge crash leading to a stampede. Modi tried to pacify the crowd and then later visited the hospital to inquire about the victims.
Victims complained that there was no adequate provision to deal with an emergency. “There was no ambulance to carry the injured to the hospital. BJP workers carried us here in private vehicles,” said Sanjay Mahato, a resident of Narayanpur of North 24 Parganas district, talking to DNA at the hospital.
Another victim, Arshad Ali Mondal, a resident of Shyamnagar village at Onda in Bankura district, said that many who were in an inebriated state, had created a chaos during the meeting. “The place was reeking of alcohol and they were not in their right frame of mind. We asked them to sit but they would not listen. I was hit on my ribs by part of the structure but as I tried to crawl out, people stamped me all over,” he told DNA.
Sapan Singh, another victim and resident of Narayangarh in West Midnapore district said that he had limped out to safety himself. “I got hurt and there were so many injured that I had to drag myself out of the place myself. The party flag was used as a bandage for my right arm where I got hurt,” he said.
During his speech Modi said that it was stunning that even after the adverse weather conditions, water-logging and breaking of one-third of the structure, people had remained at the venue in a disciplined manner. “If they cant be deterred by nature or even an accident which leaves one-third of the shed collapsed, will they be intimidated by the terror tactics of Mamata Banerjee?” he said.
State BJP president Dilip Ghosh said that more people were injured running helter-skelter. “There were over enthusiast members of the crowd who had climbed the scaffolding which could not take the weight and gave in. Most of them had been injured in the commotion that followed. Many suffered injury on the head,” Ghosh said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a tweet expressed her sympathy for the injured. ‘We pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured at the Midnapore rally today. The government is giving all help for medical treatment’, the tweet read.
