Andhra: Driver, car owner found with religious symbol on Tirumala booked

Tirupati, Nov 20 Tirumala police have registered a case against the driver and owner of a car found with a non-Hindu religious symbol sticker on the Tirumala hill, which houses Sri Venkateswara Temple.

On a complaint by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), a case was registered at Tirumala II Town Police Station on Thursday against the vehicle driver and the owner under the AP Charitable and Hindu Religious Institution and Endowment Act – 1987 (AP CHRIE ACT).

Constable V. Vasu Babu, who failed to detect the religious symbol on the vehicle at Alipiri check post, has been removed from duty.

According to TTD, which manages the affairs of the famous hill shrine, a car belonging to Tamil Nadu was found with a religious symbol sticker on the Tirumala hill.

Although the vehicle came through the 9th lane at the Alipiri check post, constable Vasu Babu on duty there could not detect this religious symbol. The vehicle came through the check post at 10.40 a.m. on Thursday.

Immediately after receiving this information, the concerned vigilance personnel located the vehicle in the parking area near the fire office at Tirumala and immediately removed the sticker, TTD said

Later, a complaint was filed at Tirumala II Town Police Station, and a case was registered against the vehicle driver, Gobi of Karur District (Tamil Nadu) and the owner of the vehicle.

Vasu Babu was removed from the duties of Alipiri with immediate effect for failing to identify the sticker despite repeated instructions. Departmental action was taken against him for dereliction of duty.

Propagation of non-Hindu faiths is prohibited on the Tirumala hill.

In 2007, the then Congress government in undivided Andhra Pradesh passed an order that the seven hills of Tirumala would remain a place of worship only for Hindus and prohibited the propagation of other faiths. The order also declared the seven hills surrounding the temple as a place of worship and thus banned all political activities, including the conduct of local body polls.

The order stated that no other religion shall be propagated in the Tirumala area through words—spoken or written—or by signs or visible representation or by distributing any printed material or other forms of religious literature.

Rule 196 of the TTD Act also states that no other religious propaganda is allowed within the 10.33 square miles area of the Tirumala Shrine. As per Rule 197 of the Act, those who reside in Tirumala and those who work for TTD must be Hindus.

--IANS

ms/dan

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