Andhra Pradesh forms SIT to probe Tirupati laddu dispute

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the adulteration of ghee used to make Tirupati Laddu.

The SIT is headed by Sarvashrestha Tripathi, Inspector General of Police (IG), Guntur district. The SIT members are Gopinath Jetty, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Visakhapatnam district and Harshavardhana Raju, Superintendent of Police, Kadapa.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday announced an SIT inquiry into irregularities at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the affairs of the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala. Naidu said that after receiving the SIT report, the government would take action against those using adulterated ghee. Chief Minister Naidu had last week alleged that the ghee used to make laddu prasadam during the YSR Congress Party rule contained animal fat.

Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also released laboratory reports on ghee samples confirming the presence of animal fat. The tests conducted at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) revealed the presence of beef tallow, lard (pork fat) and fish oil in ghee used to prepare laddu.

The allegations sparked outrage among Tirumala devotees across the country and prompted demands for strict punishment for those involved. YSRCP leader and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy refuted the allegations that adulterated ghee was used in the making of laddus.

He alleged that Naidu had hurt the sentiments of his supporters with his false allegations as the TTD has a foolproof mechanism to check the quality of ghee. Jagan Mohan Reddy wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to severely reprimand Naidu. YSRCP leader and Rajya Sabha member YV Subba Reddy, who was TTD chairman during the YSRCP rule, has asked the Supreme Court to set up an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate the allegations that animal fat is present in ghee used to make laddus. (IANS)