Frequent security lapses at Tirumala amid TTD’s in-charge vigilance

TIRUPATI: Frequent security lapses which have surfaced in quick succession, have led to concerns among the visiting devotees and has affected the sanctity of the sacred abode of Lord Venkateswara Swamy at Tirumala as the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams vigilance and security dept continues to function in the in-charge mode in the absence of a full time boss for more than two months now.
The Jan 8 stampede in Tirupati in the run-up to the Vaikunta Ekadasi, in which six devotees lost their lives and 50 plus devotees were injured, led to the immediate transfer of the then TTD’s Chief vigilance and security officer (CVSO) S Sreedhar.
Instead of appointing a full-fledged CVSO even after six pilgrims lost their lives in one of the worst ever stampedes reported in the TTD history, the Andhra Pradesh govt first appointed Chittoor SP VN Manikanta Chandol as the in-charge TTD CVSO and later on passed the temporary baton of the overall TTD security to Tirupati SP V Harshavardhan Raju again on an in-charge basis.
In the past whenever there was a delay in the appointment of a full-time CVSO, the additional CVSO, who happens to be a full time TTD employee and thoroughly experienced in TTD security related matters, was appointed as the incharge CVSO, the AP govt didn’t follow that convention as well this time.
While the absence of a full-time CVSO has had a telling effect on the overall efficacy of security systems in place, lack of coordination issues between multiple agencies intertwined with the security set-up at Tirumala has also come as a matter of serious concern, a fact which is substantiated by a series of security lapses reported at Alipiri and at Tirumala in the recent times.
It may be recalled that on January 20th, a group of devotees managed to pass through the high security zone at Alipiri with “Egg biriyanis”, which they were found to be consuming at Tirumala.
Two back to back instances of unauthorised hawkers sneaking through the Alipiri checkpoint with prohibited alcohol and ganja to Tirumala, consuming them on the sacred hill town and creating ruckus in March had caused extreme heartburn among the visiting devotees.
And in the final week of March, the forest dept officials canoeing in the sacred Papavinasanam dam waters without the knowledge of the TTD authorities also led to anguish among the devotees and the locals alike. While it was speculated initially that the forest dept wanted to promote tourism by allowing canoeing in the Papavinasanam waters, they issued a clarification in the end that they went canoeing to check for any illegal activities going on in the Seshachalam biosphere.
What was found to be really strange in this entire episode was the fact that while the canoes were transported to Tirumala by the forest department through the Alipiri checkpoint, TTD sought a clarification from the forest dept only after their act of canoeing in the sacred Papavinasam dam waters became controversial, thus exposing the lack of coordination between the departments.
The security chinks at the Alipiri checkpoint were once again exposed on Mar 31, when a mentally unsound man managed to sneak pass the Alipiri checkpoint on his motorbike and the TTD vigilance and security dept managed to intercept him only after he reached Tirumala after travelling all the way alone on the ghat road section.
Tirupati MP Dr M Gurumoorthy faulted the state govt over the delay in appointing a full-fledged CVSO at TTD despite back to back security lapses surfacing on the sacred hill town in quick succession.
“The govt not appointing a full-fledged CVSO when such significant investigations are underway raises many questions over it’s integrity and makes one wonder of the TDP govt is wilfully delaying the appointment of a full-time CVSO at TTD to derail the investigations in progress”, Tirupati MP wondered.
“Security lapses at Tirumala which is visited by millions of devotees from across the globe is a matter of serious concern and we will draw the attention of Prime minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Amit Shah to the glaring security lapses reported at Tirumala in the recent times and will ask the union govt to reign-in the TDP govt in AP to initiate measures to accord top priority to strengthening security systems at Tirumala in a foolproof way”, Gurumoorthy asserted.
Retd IG and former TTD CVSO E Damodar feels that the overall security apparatus at the TTD cannot be expected to function to their fullest potential in the absence of a full fledged CVSO to guide them. “Both the vigilance and security aspects are very critical for an institution like the TTD because an unforeseen strike is executed by the potential enemies especially at a point of time when the systems become complacent.
Taking into account the series of security lapses taking place at Tirumala in the recent times, the govt should seriously introspect and appoint a full-fledged CVSO immediately to plug the loopholes in the security systems aimed at protecting the sanctity of Tirumala and the safety of the devotees visiting the hill town.