Muslim man seen offering namaz at Tirumala sparks row in Andhra Pradesh
: A video of a Muslim driver offering namaz at the Hindu pilgrimage town of Tirumala in
Andhra Pradesh
has gone viral, prompting a sharp backlash and sparking political controversy.
The incident reportedly occurred on Thursday near the Purohita Sangham area, when the driver — accompanying a group of Hindu pilgrims from Tamil Nadu offered prayers after parking his vehicle.
The pilgrims had gone for darshan at the time, sources in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (
TTD
) vigilance and security department told local media.
Footage of the man praying was recorded by a passer-by and later circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from several quarters.
According to the Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act, religious worship not linked to Hinduism is prohibited on the Tirumala hills.
Former TTD chairman and ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy criticised the TTD administration, accusing it of failing to uphold the sanctity of the shrine.
'With thousands of security cameras and personnel, such incidents that hurt Hindu sentiments and risk communal unrest should be prevented at the outset,' he said.
The issue quickly escalated into a political row, with the local BJP unit accusing the YSRCP of politicising the matter.
TTD board member and BJP leader G Bhanu Prakash Reddy suggested the incident may have been orchestrated, adding that an investigation was underway.
'The TTD and local police are reviewing CCTV footage to establish the identity of the driver. We will get to the bottom of this,' Reddy said.
TTD officials said the driver's identity has not yet been confirmed, and inquiries are ongoing.
Tirumala, home to the Sri Venkateswara temple, is one of the most visited Hindu pilgrimage sites in the world and has strict guidelines prohibiting non-Hindu religious practices in its vicinity.
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
Brother's Day wishes
,
messages
and quotes !
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
17 minutes ago
- Hans India
UP CM Adityanath, BSP chief Mayawati express grief over Satyapal Malik's death
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday expressed grief over the death of Satyapal Malik, the former governor of Jammu and Kashmir. In a post on X in Hindi, CM Adityanath said, "The demise of former governor Satyapal Malik ji is extremely sad. Humble tribute! My condolences are with the bereaved family. I pray to God to grant salvation to the departed soul and strength to the bereaved family to bear this sorrow. Om Shanti!" Condoling the death of Malik, BSP chief Mayawati in a post on X in Hindi said, "The news of the death of Shri Satyapal Malik, who was the governor of many states, including Jammu and Kashmir, today is very sad. My deepest condolences to his bereaved family and all his supporters. May nature give them the strength to bear this sorrow." Malik (79) died on Tuesday at a hospital in New Delhi after a prolonged illness, his personal staff said. He was 79. Malik, who had also held the positions of governor of Goa, Bihar, Meghalaya, and Odisha, besides being a member of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in his long political career, died at 1.12 pm at the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in New Delhi. He was in the ICU of the hospital for a long time, getting treatment for various ailments, the staff said. In his gubernatorial role in Jammu and Kashmir, Malik oversaw the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019. Coincidentally, he took his last breath on the sixth anniversary of the Centre's move. Malik attracted a lot of controversy after alleging that he was offered a bribe to clear files of two major projects in Jammu and Kashmir and questioned the BJP-led central government over issues related to farmers and the Pulwama terror attack, among others.
The Hindu
17 minutes ago
- The Hindu
SIR in Bihar an 'invasive reconstruction of electoral roll:' Dipankar Bhattacharya
Describing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive under way in Bihar as 'an invasive reconstruction of the electoral roll,' Dipankar Bhattacharya, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, said States including Kerala should be on guard as it could be applied in other parts of the country as well. 'If they get away with it in Bihar, they will apply it everywhere,' he said, delivering the 24th memorial lecture in memory of the journalist N. Narendran on the topic 'Bihar: Trial run for Mass Disenfranchisement.' 'In fact, some people in Kerala and Tamil Nadu may still be believing that, well, this is something only happening in north India. If it is happening in north India, it is only a matter of time it happens here. No part of India is secure. Every State, every community, every political geography, every social equation, is vulnerable,' he said. The concept of citizenship as Indians have known it no longer remains valid as people will now be forced to prove their citizenship. The migrant workers of Bihar have emerged as one of the most vulnerable sections of electors in the SIR in Bihar, given the Election Commission of India's definition of 'ordinary resident.' This could have implications for Kerala as well, which has a large migrant population, he said. The SIR in Bihar, he said, was not just about rewriting the electoral roll, but it was about rewriting the electoral rules, he said. 'By rewriting the electoral rules, you are rewriting the entire grammar of elections in India,' he said. Mr. Dipankar Bhattacharya said that the INDIA Bloc was the need of the hour, observing that the BJP has grown at the expense of all other parties. 'If we cannot identify who the common enemy is, we will be doing so at our own peril,' he said. He underscored the need for a broad-based, sustained and multi-pronged resistance against what he described as the 'fascist offensive' of the BJP-RSS in the country. On the BJP's 'One Nation, One Election' proposal, Mr. Bhattacharya said it holds grave implications for the concepts of democracy and federalism. 'Every election has its own context. A Lok Sabha election has its own context, an Assembly election has its own context, a panchayat election will have its own context. If you bulldoze, flatten everything into one single narrative, and one single context for the whole elections, there will be nothing left of India's federalism and democracy as we have known it all these years,' he said, adding that the current challenges facing the Indian people is unlike any other in the post-Independence era.
Indian Express
17 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Now, Aadhaar mandatory to avail benefits of Delhi govt schemes
Now, having an Aadhar card is mandatory to avail the benefits of the schemes of the Delhi government. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has approved the BJP government's proposal to make the document mandatory for the issuance of income certificates in the Capital. The income certificate is a key document for availing financial benefits under a range of government schemes in the Capital. 'The move aims at eliminating any irregularity or malpractice in issuing income certificates to the applicants and thereby ensuring that only genuine beneficiaries registered under a scheme or financial assistance get the benefit,' a statement by the Raj Niwas underlined. The proposal, endorsed by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, seeks to bring the service of issuing income certificates under Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016. This provision allows the state or Central government to make Aadhaar-based authentication compulsory for identifying individuals receiving subsidies, services, or benefits funded through the Consolidated Fund of India of the state. The income certificate issued by the Revenue department is used to determine eligibility for several welfare schemes, including tuition fee reimbursement for students from SC, ST, and OBC communities; pensions; and health-related financial assistance under the Delhi Arogya Kosh. Using Aadhaar would help simplify service delivery, improve transparency, and ensure that benefits reach only eligible individuals, officials in the Revenue Department said. It would also eliminate the need to submit multiple documents to establish identity. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on November 25, 2019, had authorised state governments to mandate Aadhaar authentication for schemes funded from the Consolidated Fund of the State. As per the notification, individuals not possessing an Aadhaar number currently but seeking benefits under the mentioned schemes will now be required to enrol for Aadhaar. In the case of minors, Aadhaar Enrolment ID or Biometric Update ID, along with a birth certificate or school ID bearing the parent's name and signed by the school principal, will be accepted. Adults without Aadhaar can furnish the enrolment slip along with a government-issued document such as a bank passbook, PAN card, passport, Kisan passbook, or driving licence. Saxena has asked the Revenue department to undertake a public awareness campaign to inform citizens about the Aadhaar requirement, so that genuine beneficiaries are not denied their entitlements.
