The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has launched an investigation into the incident of a drone camera capturing the visuals of the Tirumala shrine from the sky. Though the Tirumala temple has not been declared a ‘no-fly zone’ by the Ministry of Defence, the TTD forbids anyone from flying objects in the airspace above the shrine, as they consider it a sacrilegious act. The incident came to light following the aerial video of the holy shrine becoming viral on Instagram. 

Responding to the incident, TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy on Saturday, January 21, said, “We have identified the person who had shared the drone video on the internet. We have also sent the video to the forensic laboratory to verify if it was picturised or whether it was a 3D creation. We will ascertain this in a couple of days, based on which we will proceed further.” He also said that a few TTD personnel have been questioned by the police. 

According to reports, a Hyderabad-based group had captured the visuals of the shrine using a drone camera. It is speculated that the video was shot last year in November. The incident has been termed as a security lapse of the TTD vigilance and security department by the BJP. For years, the TTD priests have been raising objections against objects flying above the holy shrine’s airspace as they believe that such an act is against the teachings of Hindu worship as per the Agama Shastra.  

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh BJP spokesperson and former member of TTD board, G Bhanuprakash Reddy demanded a thorough investigation into the incident. “Despite having Octopus, a special protection team, police and vigilance teams, they were able to capture the entire stretch from Sri Bedi Anjaneya Swamy temple to the sanctum sanctorum of the hill temple from above, without the knowledge of the security personnel.” 

Claiming that the incident took place in November, he said, “Though this incident happened two months ago, why was there negligence in taking action, when the temple is under threat from terrorist organisations?” He said that the BJP viewed the incident as a “security lapse” by the TTD.