One dead in stampede at YSRC meet

A 75-year-old man died and several others were injured in a stampede at a public meeting organised by the YSR Congress party in Khammam on Monday evening.

The meeting was organised by former MLA Jalagam Venkatarao at Pavilion Grounds, here, to announce his entry into the YSR Congress in the presence of its honorary president YS Vijayamma.

After the meeting concluded, there was a sudden surge of public towards the podium, which resulted in the stampede.

The body of the victim, later identified as J Satyam of BK Nagar in the town, was found at Rythu Bazaar, about half a kilometre from the venue of the public meeting.

The victim reportedly fell down during the stampede and suffered injuries. Some people tried to take him to hospital but he died on the way.

They then left the body near the Rythu Bazar and left. His relatives and police were informed.

The stampede, which happened near the press gallery, forced the newsmen present there to leave the place in a hurry.

Meanwhile, YSRCP leader YS Subba Reddy suffered illness during the meeting and was admitted to Mamatha Hospital in the town.

Man Died of Fits, Not in Stampede: Cops

However, the police said J Satyam died due to fits, not in stampede. Khammam DSP Sunitha Reddy said that Satayam had fits disease. Even, the son of the deceased also confirmed it, she said.

‘Naidu’s Rule was Smasana Yugam’

Addressing the gathering earlier, Vijayamma called the TDP chief’s nine-year regime a ‘Smasana Yugam’ while describing her late husband YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s rule as ‘Swarna Yugam’. Naidu jailed the farmers for non-payment of power bills, while YSR had given them free power. She wondered why Babu, who says he will waive farmers’ loans, had not done so while he was in power.

She maintained that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was innocent and was jailed wrongly.