A municipal official in Andhra Pradesh lost his cool today at a crowd that was mobbing the counters of a government subsidised canteen and beat up several people.
At lunchtime at a newly-opened 'Anna Canteen' in Kurnool district's Yemmiganur, the people lining up for food triggered an almost stampede-like situation.
Struggling to get people to form an orderly queue, Municipal Commissioner Raghurami Reddy resorted to slapping and shoving them out, a video of the incident shows.
The Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday launched the much-awaited Anna Canteens in various parts of the state.
Sixty Anna Canteens were opened as part of the first phase.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated a canteen in Vijayawada to mark the launch of the programme. Sixty Anna Canteens were opened in the first phase across the state.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation will run these canteens.
Setting up Anna Canteens, where breakfast, lunch and dinner would be offered at Rs 5 each, was one of the promises the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) made ahead of the 2014 polls.
Mr Naidu said he expected the canteens to function like international fast food chains. "You can benchmark these canteens internationally. KFC or McDonald's. Quality, environment, cleanliness, hygiene... you name anything, nowhere you will have such perfection," he had said.
Friday's incident, however, shows the canteens will have to work some more in the customer service department.
Andhra Government To Give Rs 10 Lakh To Family Of Gang Rape Survivor The Only Indian State That Doesn't Have A Capital Opinion: Opinion | Will Naidu And Reddy Finally Be Able To Solve A Decade-Old Problem? Amid Huge Row, Karnataka Pauses Bill For Reservation In Private Sector Firms Travel Influencer Aanvi Kamdar Dies After Falling Off A Waterfall Near Mumbai Puja Khedkar's Father Was Suspended Twice On Extortion Complaints World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Puja Khedkar's Father Was Suspended Twice On Extortion Complaints Meet Gagan, A Daily Wager Who Cracked IIT Despite All Odds Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.