Tirupati laddu row: Temple trust calms concerns over ‘beef tallow’ in prasadam claim

‘Animal fat’ in laddu row: Amid growing concerns from devotees regarding the quality of ghee used in the world famous Tirupati ‘laddu prasadam’, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has reassured that the sanctity of the sacred offering has been restored.

In a social media update on Friday night, the TTD, which oversees the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala, affirmed that the divinity and purity of the Srivari Laddu are now completely intact.

“The divinity and purity of Srivari laddu is unblemished now. TTD is committed to protecting the holiness of Laddu Prasadam to the satisfaction of all the devotees,” the temple board said in the post.

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The temple authority overseeing the wealthy shrine disclosed on Friday that it had detected sub-standard ghee and traces of lard in samples tested for quality, confirming earlier claims made by Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday.

Accusations have been directed at the previous YSRCP administration, with former CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy dismissing the issue as "diversion politics" and labeling it a "fabricated story".

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The central government has requested a report from the Andhra Pradesh government and assured appropriate action following its review. Union food minister Pralhad Joshi has called for a thorough investigation into the allegations.

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According to a lab report cited by the TTD on Friday, 'lard' (pig fat) and other impurities were found in the ghee. TTD executive officer J Shyamala Rao confirmed that lab tests revealed the presence of animal fat and lard in selected samples, and the board is in the process of blacklisting the contractor responsible for supplying the adulterated ghee.

FIR against X users for spreading ‘misinformation’ that 'Amul' ghee used

The police on Saturday registered a case against seven users of social media platform 'X' for allegedly spreading misinformation that the "low quality" ghee used for making laddus at the Tirupati temple belonged to the 'Amul' brand.

Anand-based Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets its milk and dairy products under the brand name 'Amul', has denied having supplied ghee (clarified butter) to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the temple.

As per the FIR, X users of seven different handles spread misinformation that ghee with animal fat used for preparing laddus for Tirupati Balaji temple belonged to the 'Amul' brand with the intention of harming the reputation of the GCMMF, a cyber crime police station official told news agency PTI.

These X users spread misinformation that ghee sold under the Amul brand was used to prepare laddus which is then used as 'prasad' (offering) at the temple in Tirupati, thereby damaging the reputation of the co-operative organisation, it said.

The FIR was filed at the Ahmedabad cyber crime police station. The accused persons were booked under sections 336 (4) and 196 (1) (a) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with forgery intending to harm the reputation of any party, and promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, etc, respectively.

(With inputs from PTI)