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Unaware of rules at Tirumala, pilgrims land in soup
Ignorance on the part of pilgrims visiting the temple town is resulting in frequent incidents of seizure of prohibited items like guns, liquor, gutka packets.
Tirupati: Ignorance on the part of pilgrims visiting the temple town is resulting in frequent incidents of seizure of prohibited items like guns, liquor, gutka packets.
Highlights:
- In a second such incident this month, two Maharashtra devotees caught with a pistol and ammunition at Alipiri
- There have been many incidents of pilgrims being booked for possession or consumption of alcohol, ganja and gutka
In the latest of such seizures, TTD security officials seized one pistol and 14 rounds ammunition from two Maharashtra devotees, Sudhakar and Harshavardhan, at Alipiri check-post during the routine security check on Wednesday. Another eight rounds of ammunition was found in a garbage dump near Garuda circle earlier in the day. Police suspect the duo might have thrown them in the dump.
The TTD security officials handed over the two suspects to Tirumala II town police for further investigation. CI Venkata Ravi registered a case on pistol and bullets’ seizure.
On August 2, security personnel seized a gun and liquor bottles from pilgrims from the vehicles of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu devotees in two separate incidents at Alipri. The seizure of fire arms in the famous pilgrim centre created sensation at national level TTD security personnel seized liquor and ganja in large-scale besides two guns, dozens of rounds of ammunition in the last two months during the routine security checks at Tirumala ghat road (Alipiri).
Interestingly, those who caught with prohibited articles include genuine devotees apart from the habitual offenders. The situation for would be very difficult for normal persons who were caught with banned items as they have to face criminal cases in Tirupati, irrespective of the fact they come from far off places.
Two months ago, Tirumala traffic police red-handedly caught a man from Nizamabad in Telangana while consuming liquor in an open area at Sanku Mitta cottages on the hill. Before that, two more cases were register against devotees from Bangalore and Chennai for carrying liquor with them in Tirumala. It is said that reason behind this surge in cases is the lack of awareness among pilgrims about the items prohibited at Tirumala and rules and regulations.
There are suggestions that while tightening the security, the TTD should also take up a campaign to create awareness among devotees in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana states on do’s and don’ts at hill shrine. It is also felt that wide publicity should be given in their local languages like Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi and English on the rules and regulations in vote at Tirumala.
TTD Chief Vigilance and Security Officer Ake Ravi Krishna told The Hans India that TTD was also thinking on the same lines. “Soon we will chalk out plans to take up publicity activity on do’s and don’ts in Tirumala and which are the items prohibited at hill shrine. Similarly, we are sensitising the pilgrims who are heading to Tirumala every day, on security rules and regulations,” he added.
