44 nonhindus working in Tirupati to be shifted to other departments

HYDERABAD: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the Venkateshwara temple on the Tirumala hills in Andhra Pradesh, is planning to shift 44 non-hindu people working on various temple services to other departments.

According to the guidelines of the temple, which is the richest in the world, non-hindus cannot work in any of its services. Though non-hindus can visit and have a view of the deity, they have to sign a register before entering the queue complex declaring that they have faith in the Hindu god.

TTD executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal said notices had been issued all the 44 employees seeking explanations about the documents they submitted during recruitment.

“The Andhra Pradesh government has agreed to consider their deputation to other departments,” Singhal added.

The controversy over nonHindus in the TTD surfaced following a sting operation by a local TV channel. A senior TTD official, who regularly goes to churches in the temple town in her official vehicle, was targeted.

The operation evoked strong protests from the local Hindu organisations, who alleged that there were several such people and demanded that they be dropped from service.

An inquiry revealed that the woman officer had been appointed in 1986, when there was no restriction on the appointment of non-hindus.

According to sources, in 1988, an order was issued banning the recruitment of non-hindus in temple administration except in the educational institutions run by it. In 2007, recruitment was banned even in educational institutions.

NONHINDUS WERE BANNED FROM TEMPLE ADMINISTRATION POSTS IN 1988 BUT NOT FROM PLACES OF EDUCATION RUN BY THE TRUST