Andhra government forms 9-member team to probe animal fat in Tirupati laddus

The SIT will be led by Guntur Range Inspector General of Police, Sarvashresth Tripathi. The SIT will also probe the other irregularities that reportedly took place during the previous YSR Congress party's regime in Tirumala.

In Short

• IPS officer Sarvashreshth Tripathi to head SIT for probing Tirupati laddu case
• SIT includes IPS officers from various districts
• SIT will also investigate irregularities during YSR Congress regime

Amid the row over the presence of animal fats in Tirupati laddus, the Andhra Pradesh government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged adulteration of ghee used in preparing the famous Tirumala Venkanna laddu. The SIT will be led by Guntur Range Inspector General of Police, Sarvashresth Tripathi.

The SIT will also probe the other irregularities that reportedly took place during the previous YSR Congress party's regime in Tirumala.

Sarvashreshth Tripathi, a 2006 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, had previously served as the Superintendent of Police (SP) for the combined Guntur and Krishna districts.

Apart from Tripathi, the SIT team consists of other key members, including 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. Other members include 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 SIT may call for relevant information and assistance from any Department of the Government in the course of the investigation. All government departments shall cooperate with the SIT in discharge of its duties and duly submit any information or technical assistance called for. Similarly, the SIT may seek any external expert assistance duly requesting the Director General of Police," the government order reads.

WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY?

The controversy came under the spotlight after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had claimed last week that substandard ingredients, including animal fat, were discovered in the laddus served as prasad at Tirupati temple during the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy's government.

Referring to a private lab report from Gujarat, Naidu alleged the presence of "beef tallow," "lard" (relating to pig fat) and fish oil in the ghee.

However, former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy denied the claims, stating that no violation occurred under his regime. Reddy also blamed Naidu for doing "politics in the name of God," and called the Chief Minister "a pathological and habitual liar."