Tirupati Laddoo row: Naidu govt forms 9-member panel to probe ghee adulteration in Tirumala, other irregularities in Jagan's regime

Amidst the row over animal fat in Tirupati laddoos, the Chandrababu Naidu-led Andhra Pradesh government has constituted a 9-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged adulteration of cow ghee used in preparing the laddoo served as prasadam. 

The SIT has also been tasked to probe other irregularities that allegedly took place in Tirumala during the YSR Congress' rule in the state. The SIT can summon anyone from state government departments or external experts to seek relevant information and assistance.

The SIT will be headed by Guntur Range Inspector General of Police Sarvashreshth Tripathi, a 2006 batch IPS officer. 

The other members include Gopinath Jatti, IPS, who serves as the Deputy Inspector General for the Visakhapatnam Range; V Harshavardhan Raju, IPS, the Superintendent of Police for YSR Kadapa District; and Venkat Rao, Additional Superintendent of Police for the Tirupati District. 

The team also includes G Sitarama Rao and J Sivanarayana Swamy, both Deputy Superintendents of Police; T Satyanarayana, an inspector from the Special Branch in Annamayya District; K Umamaheswar, an inspector from the NTR Police Commissionerate in Vijayawada; and M Suryanarayana, a circle inspector from Kalluru in Chittoor District.

The row around the popular Tirupati laddoo erupted when Chandrababu Naidu claimed that ingredients like animal fat were found in the laddoos served at the temple. Citing a private lab report from Gujarat, Naidu claimed that beef tallow, lard or pig fat and fish oil were present in the ghee.

As per this report, it also contained palm oil, soya bean, linseed, rapeseed, wheat germ, maize germ, sunflower, and cotton seed. 

Former CM Jagan Mohan Reddy, however, denied the allegations and said that there was no violation during his reign. He also accused Naidu of doing "politics in the name of God," and called him "a pathological and habitual liar."