At least 30 people were injured after a portion of the canopy cover built at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting venue at West Midnapore district  collapsed.

The Prime Minister, who was on a separate dais a few metres away, was in the middle of his speech when the accident happened.

According to BJP workers present there, the tents were propped up using iron poles and structures. Incessant rains had loosened the soil and the structures gave way when people from the crowd started climbing on the railings or the poles to see the Prime Minister.

Modi was addressing farmers at Midnapore town, 140-odd km from Kolkata, as part of his national programme, Kisan Kalyan Rally.

 

PM pacifies crowd

As there were chaos, Modi decided to step in. He stopped his speech, raised an alarm and moved away from the podium. In fact, the Prime Minister called his security personnel and instructed them to step in and manage the situation.

His team of doctors were asked to treat the injured people immediately and after basic treatment, the injured were taken to a hospital in the ambulances that follow the PM’s convoy. 

As his next step, Modi started pacifying the crowd with various sloganeering.

"I am overwhelmed to see this. In such a stormy weather, so many people gathered here to hear me. Even when 1/3rd of the Pandal collapsed, people helped each other and took them out. I cannot even imagine of seeing such a discipline. There had been no instances of pushing, shoving and being impatient. I thank the people with folded hands. I will always remember this meeting. It is unique to me," Modi said, while addressing the people. 

 

Breaks protocol  

As normalcy was restored, and the injured were rushed to the Midnapore Zilla Medical College and Hospital, the PM resumed his speech. But, Modi was not through. He broke his security protocol and visited the injured at the hospital.

Hospital sources say Modi not only spent time talking to doctors, he also spoke to the injured and inquired about their health and well-being.

Minutes after PM left the hospital, West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, tweeted: “We pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured at the Midnapore rally today. The government is giving all help for medical treatment.”

 

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