TIRUPATI: Various opposition parties, including the YSRCP, slammed the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) over the security lapse at the Alipiri checkpoint after a group of devotees from Tamil Nadu were caught eating egg biryani at Tirumala.
Consumption of alcohol, non-vegetarian food, smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco are strictly prohibited at Tirumala.
While this rule has been in vogue for several decades now, a group of devotees from Tamil Nadu, who arrived at Tirumala on Friday, were found consuming egg biriyani near the Rambagicha bus stand.
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Fellow devotees informed the Tirumala police about this and they immediately rushed to the spot. When Tirumala police informed them that consumption of eggs and other non vegetarian food was prohibited at Tirumala, the devotees pleaded ignorance. Tirumala police gave them a stern warning and let them go.
Former TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy slammed the TTD administration over the security breach which led to an act of sacrilege on the sacred hill town. “This incident clearly exposes the chinks in the TTD security set-up as the Tamil Nadu devotees easily managed to reach Tirumala with egg biriyani packets after undergoing the mandatory security checks at the Alipiri checkpoint,” he said.
Tirupati MP Dr M Gurumoorthy also expressed concerns over the incident and questioned chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s sincerity in streamlining TTD affairs.
“On Jan 8, one of the worst ever stampedes in the history of the Tirupati trust was reported and six pilgrims lost their lives leaving over 50 others injured. The state govt which transferred TTD’s chief vigilance and security officer and Tirupati SP hasn’t appointed suitable replacements in those two crucial security positions. Instead, the govt has made Chittoor SP incharge for both the TTD CVSO and Tirupati SP positions, which clearly shows the lackluster approach of the TDP govt,” the Tirupati MP alleged.
