Appearing on behalf of the government before the one-man Justice C.Y. Somayajulu Commission on Wednesday, counsel Ch. Prabhakar said the Chief Minister’s presence on the first day of the Godavari Pushkarams on 14 July, 2015 should not be linked to stampede and the crowd tried to breach the barricades to get entry into the main ghat.
‘Crowds not detained’
When the Commission called the government counsel to produce his arguments, he said the crowds were not detained at the Pushkara ghat either for shooting of the National Geographic Channel or for the VIP (CM) movement. He said there was no evidence on this and it was only an assumption of the aggrieved parties. He recalled that there were video clippings in support of his argument that when the Chief Minister was at the ghat, people were freely moving on the roads.
He said the government could not force people to go to other ghats as sentiments and emotions were attached to Pushkara ghat. “Government can only advice, direct and appraise the people on the situation at Pushkara ghat. However, thousands of people have started assembling at Pushkara ghat from 13 July, 2015 night itself,” Mr. Prabhakar said. He said the Chief Minister had taken bath at the ghat in 2003 too and the ghat was meant for other VIPs who would take quick dip and disperse after the inauguration ‘muhurtham’. When Commission’s legal assistant Madduri Siva Subba Rao asked why gate no.1 was closed when no. 3 was already shut, Mr. Prabhakar said it was a spot decision as people surged to the ghat after 7 trains reached there. He said proximity and sentiment were the two reasons for people gathering in large numbers at the ghat.
