Tirupati, Sep 24 (IANS): Hindu religious leaders on Tuesday staged a protest outside Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) administrative building over alleged adulteration of Tirupati laddu prasadam.
Raising slogans and holding placards, leaders of Andhra Pradesh Hindu Sadhu Parishad and other Hindu religious organisations participated in the protest.
The placards carried by protestors read “Save Tirumala, Save TTD” and “Speak Out Tirupathi”.
The protestors demanded stringent punishment to those involved in the use of adulterated ghee for making laddu prasadam and said a case should be immediately booked against those responsible for using adulterated ghee.
A few protestors including women were seen rolling on the ground to press for their demand.
They said those involved in tarnishing the sanctity of Tirumala should not be spared.
One of the religious leaders said such a desecration never happened in the history of Sri Venkateswara temple. He demanded that the government conduct a thorough probe into the affairs of the TTD during the last five years.
Another religious leader said those who desecrated the sacred laddus would get destroyed.
Last week, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the ghee mixed with animal fat was used in making laddu prasadam when the YSR Congress was in power.
The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also revealed lab reports of some samples of ghee which reveal the presence of beef tallow, lard (relating to pig fat), and fish oil in ghee used for the preparation of the laddus.
On Sunday, Naidu ordered a probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into alleged irregularities in TTD, which will be headed by an Inspector General (IG) or a higher official.
Stating that action would be taken against the guilty based on the SIT report, he vowed to purify Tirumala and restore its glory.
Naidu said due to suspicion over the quality of ghee being used for making laddu prasadam, samples from four tankers were sent to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) for analysis.
He claimed that lab reports revealed the presence of pork and beef fat.
YSRCP President and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has rubbished the allegations that adulterated ghee was used for making laddus.
He alleged that Naidu hurt the sentiments of devotees with his allegations. He wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to severely reprimand Naidu.