Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday condemned the incident in which miscreants set afire a temple chariot in Anantapur district and directed officials to bring culprits to justice.
The incident occurred in Hanakanahal village of Kanekal mandal in the early hours of Tuesday.
Unidentified miscreants set the chariot in the Ram temple.
The chariot was completely burnt by the time fire services personnel reached there.
The police said they were investigating the case and were trying to identify the culprits with the help of CCTV footage in the vicinity.
The Chief Minister has strongly condemned the heinous act of setting fire to the temple chariot.
“This constitutes an assault on our culture and values, and such acts of desecration will not be tolerated,” said a post from the official account of Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on ‘X’.
Chandrababu Naidu instructed the District Collector, Superintendent of Police and officials to visit the spot immediately and initiate a thorough investigation to bring the culprits to justice immediately.
“He promised that the perpetrators of this vile act will face the full force of the law, and he shall personally oversee the investigation to ensure swift and decisive action.”
Anantapur District Superintendent of Police P. Jagadeesh rushed to the scene and started the investigation.
The incident took place amid the ongoing controversy over alleged adulteration of Tirupati laddu.
Last week, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the ghee mixed with animal fat were used in making laddu prasadam of Tirumala temple when the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) was in power.
The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also revealed lab reports of some samples of ghee which reveal presence of beef tallow, lard (relating to pig fat), and fish oil in ghee used for the preparation of laddu.
On Sunday, Naidu ordered a probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of police into alleged irregularities in Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam during the YSRCP government.
The SIT will be headed by an Inspector General (IG) or a higher official.