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21 are killed in stampede for free saris |
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Tuesday, April 13, 2004 |
 NEW DELHI, India - At least 21 women were crushed to death Monday in a stampede triggered by the ruling party's attempt to distribute free saris in the northern Indian city of Lucknow a week before nationwide elections are due to begin.
Lucknow is the constituency of the Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the tragedy comes as a major embarrassment to his Bharatiya Janata Party's efforts to win a renewed mandate in the elections.
Opinion polls have given the alliance of parties led by the BJP a clear edge over its nearest rival, the Congress Party. Vajpayee, who has won every re-election bid easily since he first ran in Lucknow in 1991, is campaigning on his record of economic growth and the peace process with Pakistan.
Although it is common for politicians to distribute gifts and even money to try to win votes, the practice goes against India's rigid electoral Model Code of Conduct, and opposition politicians called for an inquiry.
The saris, a cheap variety readily available for about $2 each, were not being distributed at a political rally but at a private birthday function for Vajpayee's chief campaigner in Lucknow, BJP organizers said, denying that they violated the code.
About 5,000 women gathered to receive the free saris at a tent festooned with election banners.
Some witnesses said the stampede started when word spread that the two truckloads of saris were about to run out. Others said it began when some of the children accompanying their mothers at the front of the crowd stumbled and fell, causing the women behind them to fall.
The episode cast a shadow over the election, which will be staggered over three weeks starting April 20.
Source: azcentral.com |
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