Police rough up pilgrims, media

Rajahmundry: After serving lakhs of pilgrims for 11 days with patience, the police personnel on Pushkaralu duty seem to have lost their cool as they roughed up pilgrims as well media personnel, leading to commotion, on the concluding day of the Maha Pushkaralu, here on Saturday.

Besides cops indulging in verbal duels with pilgrims and media personnel, they shoved the people, despite a comparatively low turnout at the holy event. In fact, the police barricaded all the roads leading to Pushkar Ghat from Kotagummam, Gokavaram bus stand and Godavari bund and choked most of the entry points.

However, all the VVIPs and their families were allowed to witness Harathi, where Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Yoga Guru Ramdev Baba, few film personalities, almost all ministers and their families, IAS officers and their kin were rushed to the Ghat even till the last moment.

Media personnel were shocked with the behavior of senior police personnel at Pushkar ghat. When the electronic and print media sought entry with valid passes near Raja Raja Narendra statue, Amit Nag, senior IPS officer said that he had no ears to hear nor eyes to inspect their ID cards so would not allow media as the area was under his control.

Even at the railway station, constables in plain clothes pushed a woman who tried to gain entry into second platform. Even though a man complained to Naveen Gulati, SP that a constable in that area had tore the blouse of his wife but it fell in deaf ears. Forcing journalists to stage a dharna around Pushkar Ghat to express their anger and anguish.