Image for representation showing a person offering Namaz.
Credit: iStock Photo
Hyderabad: A controversy erupted in Tirumala on Thursday when a man was spotted offering namaz while wearing a Hazrat cap at the Purohit Sangham area.
Eyewitnesses said the man prayed for over 10 minutes.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) vigilance team has launched an investigation to identify the man. They are using CCTV footage and the vehicle’s registration number to track him down.
According to TTD sources, the man (a driver) had come to Tirumala accompanying Hindu devotees from Tamil Nadu and offered namaz.
“The man visited Tirumala with Hindu devotees. When he inquired with a local person whether he could offer namaz at that location, the local person agreed, and he proceeded to pray.
“The same local person reportedly filmed the man praying on his mobile phone and circulated the video,” said a TTD source.
YSRCP conspiracy: BJP
The BJP has condemned the incident and alleged a conspiracy by the YSRCP.
“To create unrest and communal tensions, we strongly suspect the YSRCP provoked the man to offer namaz, going against the sentiments of Hindus. I urge the police to book the man and also charge the YSRCP cadre who advised him to perform namaz,” TTD board member and BJP leader G Bhanu Prakash Reddy told DH.