KOLKATA: Fifteen people were injured Monday at a public rally for NarendraModi after a tent collapsed on the Indian prime minister´s audience, policesaid.

Modi had started to extol his government´s achievements when the tent´scanopy fell onto the crowd amid heavy rain, seriously injuring two people.

“The incident happened about 100 metres from the dais as the prime ministerbegan to address the rally,” senior state police official Anuj Sharma toldAFP.

“The prime minister paused and urged the people to stay calm.”

Television footage showed injured audience members being lifted to safetyby the public.

Samir Dash, the district chief of Modi´s Bharatiya Janata Party, said thetent collapsed because people tried to climb up the bamboo poles holdingthe tent aloft.

Modi later visited the local hospital to check on the injured.

One woman brought to the ward from the rally asked for the premier´sautograph as she lay in bed.

Modi is set to address a slew of public rallies in the coming months aheadof general elections next year.