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This story is from May 3, 2016

Over 50? AIADMK won't let you attend their meetings

Attacked by opposition parties for the deaths of five people at Jayalalithaa's rallies, AIADMK has said people over 50 should not attend their public meetings.
Over 50? AIADMK won't let you attend their meetings
Attacked by opposition parties for the deaths of five people at Jayalalithaa's rallies, AIADMK has said people over 50 should not attend their public meetings.
VELLORE: Attacked by opposition parties for the deaths of five people at Jayalalithaa's rallies, AIADMK has said people over 50 should not attend their public meetings. On Monday, the National Human Rights Commission sought a report on the deaths, reportedly due to exposure to the sun, from the police and chief secretary within two weeks.
The party has sent instructions to all district-level organisers to stop bringing elderly people for election campaign meetings.
For the upcoming meeting on May 10 at Vedal village near Arakkonam, for instance, party leaders expressly told organisers not to bus senior citizens in to swell the audience.
"We have also been instructed to provide food and water to people coming to the campaign meeting. We have been strictly told not to assemble the cadres at the venue before 3 pm. Amma (as party chief Jayalalithaa is known) is scheduled to arrive at the venue between 5pm and 5.30pm," said an AIADMK member in-charge of organising the programme.
AIADMK has issued these instructions after five people died while waiting for Jayalalithaa in the sun at public meetings in Cuddalore, Virudhunagar and Salem districts. Several others suffered heat-related illnesses.
DMK and PMK took immediately took up the issue and sought the intervention of NHRC. They alleged that AIAMDK transported thousands of people to the meeting venue and forced them to wait in the scorching heat for several hours. They were neither provided with drinking water nor allowed to move out of the venue to use toilets, they said. "The opposition is trying to take advantage of these incidents. We believe our leader took the decision to negate the opponent's charges," said another party member in Vellore.
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