More than 20 people were injured on Monday after a section of a tent caved in during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at a public rally in West Bengal’s Midnapore.
The Prime Minister and the leaders of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the dais were, however, safe. He rushed to see the injured at Midnapore Medical College and Hospital after the meeting.“Fortunately, none of them has got severe injuries,” Samit Dash, president of West Midnapore district unit of the BJP, said.
Volunteers and locals at the venue said a part of the tent gave away after some people climbed on the iron rods holding up the canopy. They said the heavy rains also added to the accident.“The number of people swelled so much that several persons climbed the rods to get a view of the dais and the leaders triggering the collapse,” Atanu Das, a local who was close to the spot of the accident, said.
Dipak Mahato, an 18-year-old from Salboni, said he fell down after people started running following the structure’s collapse and injured his left hand.
“I was under the shed that caved in. Before I could escape an iron rod descended and hit my shoulder. My daughter-in-law who was accompanying me pulled me out. Otherwise, the injury would have been worse,” Swarna Mahato, who came to attend the rally, said.
Modi praised the audience for not leaving the spot even after a chaos following the incident. “Today, I witnessed a new force of the people of Bengal. Can anyone imagine that one-third of the pandal came down and yet the meeting continued peacefully? I cannot think it happening anywhere. I shall remember this meeting for the rest of my life,” Modi said.
“There are so many people here despite heavy rains and obstructions. And now the meeting is continuing without a hitch despite the collapse,” he added.
