High voltage was witnessed in the temple town of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh after a drunken youth climbed atop the Sri Govindarajaswamy Temple late Friday night and stayed there for around for 3 hours while authorities and police scrambled to bring him down.
According to officials, the incident occurred shortly after the temple was closed, when the man allegedly jumped over the boundary wall after evading security and entered the premises. He was reportedly under the influence of alcohol.
Before vigilance personnel could intervene, he climbed the main gopuram and attempted to remove the kalash installed at its peak. The entire reckless act was caught on camera, raising questions about the revered temple's security.
Who is the accused?
The accused was later identified as Kuttadi Tirupati, a resident of Kurma Wada in Peddamalla Reddy Colony, from Nizamabad district in Telangana.
Drama lasted for 3 hours
Personnel from Tirupati East police station and the fire department spent nearly 3 hours persuading the man to come down from the gopuram. Iron ladders were installed to reach the top of the structure.
When police personnel reached the peak and tried to reason with him, the man allegedly insisted that he would come down only if he was given a quarter bottle of liquor. Police reportedly assured him that he would be given alcohol after coming down, following which he agreed to descend.
After safely bringing him down with the help of iron ladders, police arrested the man. Officials said the situation was brought under control without any injuries or damage to the temple structure.
YSR Congress targets Andhra government
Sharing a video of the brazen incident on X, the YSR Congress lashed out at Chandrababu Naidu's coalition government in the state, saying it has insulted the sanctity of the shrine. The opposition party also called for accountability from the chief minister.
"Due to lax security under B R Naidu, an intoxicated man climbed the temple gopuram and demanded liquor, openly insulting the sanctity of the shrine. The reckless handling by the police worsened the situation, and the man even attempted to damage the sacred kalasam. This is the direct result of converting the temple city into a liquor hub. Chief Minister must be held accountable for this unforgivable betrayal of faith," it wrote in the post.
