Andhra stampedes: Govt bans public meets, rallies on roads

The Andhra Pradesh government has now passed an order prohibiting public meetings and rallies on roads, including state and national highways, citing public safety.

This comes in the wake of a stampede last week at a rally held by the main Opposition Telugu Desam Party at Kandukuru in which many persons were killed.

The prohibitory order was issued late on Monday (January 2) night under the provisions of the Police Act, 1861. The G.O. dated January 2, 2023, issued by the state home department explained that it is the police machinery of the state, which is empowered under law to regulate these activities in the public interest, while being cognizant of the fact that there is a fundamental right to peaceful assembly under Article 19(1)(b) of the Constitution of India.

“The right to conduct a public meeting on public roads and streets, is a subject matter of regulation, as the Section 30 of the Police Act, 1861 itself mandates,” said the order.

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Only in rare and exceptional cases

The principal secretary, home department, Harish Kumar Gupta issued the G.O. ordering the concerned public authorities not to permit massive public meetings on highways, narrow roads, panchayat and municipal roads across the state.

The G.O. stated that the respective district administration and police machinery have been ordered to identify “designated places away from public roads for conduct of public meetings, which do not hamper the flow of traffic, public movement, emergency services, movement of essential commodities, etc”.

“The authorities should avoid permitting meetings of public roads. Only in rare and exceptional circumstances permission for public meetings may be considered, with reasons recorded in writing,” said the principal secretary. Alternative locations for such congregation such as public grounds should be used and the applicants may also be suggested to locate alternative private places to hold such meetings. This is to “mitigate the hardship to the people at large”, stated the G.O.

Moreover, the government said that the municipal road and panchayat roads are narrow and are meant for free movement of the people staying in the local area. And any obstruction on these roads because of meetings endangers lives, disrupts the civic life, emergency services, causing inconvenience to the general public.

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The authority in rare circumstances shall give permission only keeping in mind the “subject matter, shall be guided by the width of the road, the duration of the meeting, the location of the venue, exit points, number of people likely to attend the meeting, crowd control measures etc.,” the statement added.

In the G.O., the principal secretary maintained that several fatal incidents involving loss of life and injury and inconvenience is being caused to general public due to public meetings and gatherings on roads and road margins. He highlighted the Kandukuru incident that occurred on December 28 and noted that “holding of meetings on public roads and road margins is leading to deaths and creating traffic obstructions.” Police take a long time to control the situation, he added.

The Opposition parties in the state have slammed the government’s decision and called the G.O. “atrocious”.