There was chaos and stampede-like situation at a public meeting in West Bengal’s Thakurnagar on Saturday as people jumped barricades to enter the venue and catch a glimpse of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was the main speaker.
The Prime Minister had to cut short his speech because of the possibility of a stampede. After he left the venue, there were reports that several people had been injured.
“I request you… there is no space on the ground. Don’t do this. I bow before you for your appreciation, but this ground is small,” the PM said, asking people to not jump barricades. The Prime Minister mentioned the situation at a rally later in Durgapur, both appreciating people’s love and seeking forgiveness for not being able to give them the opportunity to attend the meeting, or to catch a glimpse of him.
The PM also took the opportunity to say that the large crowd at his meeting indicated why Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee resorted to violence. “Yeh drishya dekhne ke baad aab mujhe samajh mein aa raha hai ki Didi hinsa pe kyon utar ayi hain (the scene before me makes me understand why Didi resorted to violence),” he said.
