Tirupati: A major row has erupted after the video of a man offering namaz within the premises of the Tirumala Kalyana Mandapam in Tirupati surfaced on social media. The temple authorities and police have launched a probe into the incident.
The Tirumala Kalyana Mandapam is that part of the temple where the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) routinely conducts mass weddings. This was captured on a mobile phone and widely circulated on social media. The video shows a man, wearing a Hazrat cap, performing namaz on a piece of cloth laid on the ground.
Devotees have expressed outrage at this violation. This comes at a time when tensions are high over the terror strike at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 persons, mostly tourists from across the country, were shot dead.
According to TTD officials, the man had arrived at Tirumala in a vehicle carrying a group of Hindu devotees from Tamil Nadu. Identified as a driver accompanying the pilgrims, he reportedly inquired with a local about offering namaz and was told he could do so. The same local is believed to have filmed the act and shared it online, further inflaming the situation.
Devotees cited the sanctity of the Hindu temple town, where non-Hindus are traditionally discouraged from engaging in religious practices. Tirupati Superintendent of Police Harshavardhan Raju visited the site and said efforts were underway to trace the individual, with the help of CCTV footage and the car’s registration number.
The BJP strongly condemned the incident, alleging it was a “deliberate act” orchestrated by the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) to provoke religious tensions.
“We strongly suspect that the YSRCP orchestrated the incident to spread communal tension. I urge the police to book the man and also charge the YSRCP cadre who advised him to perform namaz,” G Bhanu Prakash Reddy, a BJP leader and TTD board member told Deccan Herald.
The TTD reiterated its commitment towards ensuring the sanctity of the temple premises.
