Report of Fact Finding Committee - Tirupati ,wht u all say abt it???????????????

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REPORT OF THE FACT FINDING COMMITTEE ______________________________________________________________________________ Tirumala Tirupathi Devastanam 1. During the month of April, 2006, it was reported in the press and electronic media that certain activists of Christian community have been carrying out undesirable activities at the holy places of Tirumala Hills and Tirupathi and these acts have been severely hurting and agitating the religious feelings of the multitude of devout Hindus. Therefore, taking into consideration the seriousness of the situation, His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Visweswara Theertha of Pejavar Mutt, Udipi, requested us viz., Sri Justice G. Bikshapathy, Sri Justice K.B. Siddappa, former Judges of Andhra Pradesh High Court, Sri T.S. Rao, former Director General of Police, Andhra Pradesh, Smt. Dr. P. Geervani, former Vice-Chancellor of Sri Padmavathi Mahila Viswa Vidyala and Sri Dr. R. Shrihari, Former Vice-Chancellor of Dravidian University, Kuppam, to function as a Fact Finding Committee under the Chairmanship of Sri Justice G. Bikshapathy to ascertain the factual position as regards the activities of Non-Hindu religious communities in Tirumala and Tirupathi and to furnish a report to His Holiness for considering the steps to be taken to prevent undesirable activities of the Christian and other Non-Hindu Communities. 2. We accordingly agreed to function as a Fact Finding Committee and held a preliminary sitting on 17.6.2006 at Hyderabad. In the said meeting, it was decided by all of us, to visit Tirupathi and Tirumala on the 21st and 22nd June, 2006 to hold a public enquiry by the Committee and subsequently got issued public notice in the dailies and in the electronic media. 3. On 21.6.2006, four members of the Committee i.e., Sri Justice G. Bikshapathy (Chairman), Sri T.S. Rao, Dr. C.R. Srihari and Dr. Smt. Geervani met at Navajeevan Saranagathi Vruddashram at Tiruchanur. Sri Justice K.B. Siddappa could not participate in the meeting on account of indisposition of his wife. 42 persons appeared before the Committee on 21.06.2006 between 9.30 A.M. and 7.30 P.M. and narrated the facts within their knowledge relating to the activities carried on by Christians and Muslims. The names and particulars of those persons are given in Annexure-I to this report. Earlier TV9 covered certain events and activities of the Christians in Tirupathi and Tirumala. They were recorded in a DVD and displayed before the Committee in a TV. A DVD containing the TV9 coverage was handed over to the Committee. The same is enclosed with this Report as Annexure-II. 4. On the next day i.e., 22.6.2006, the Committee visited Tirumala and met at Vaikhanasa Trust building. There also 6 persons appeared before the Committee and narrated their experiences. Their names and particulars are also given in Annexure-I at the end. 5. At about 11.15 A.M. on 22.06.2006 the Committee met Sri A.P.V.N. Sarma, I.A.S., Executive Officer of the TTD at his Camp Office in Tirumala. Sri Dharma Reddy, Special Officer of TTD, Sri Arvind Kumar, IPS, Chief Vigilance & Security Officer of TTD, and Sri Ramachandra Reddy, District Judge on deputation to TTD as Law Officer, were also present. 6. On an analysis of the information furnished by the members of the public before the Committee, the following facts emerge. Activities relating to Propagation and Conversion to Christianity: (i) Members of the Christian Community distributed religious pamphlets and copies of Bible to the students who were returning after writing the EAMCET examinations conducted at various centres inTirupathi in May, 2006. Apart from other persons, who deposed before the Committee, this information was also disclosed by the son of Sri Prabhakara Acharya, Secretary of Vaikhanasa Ashram at Tirumala, who appeared for the EAMCET examinations. This activity of the Christians led to serious tense situation in Tirupathi. It was also revealed to the Committee that large number of women and men, dividing themselves into several groups, distributed Christian religious material at various places including EAMCET centres. Some student organizations protested against these activities. Police had to intervene to maintain law and order. (ii) On 9th of April, 2006, two Christians by name Balaraju (pastor) and Babu while coming down from Tirumala to Tirupathi in bus bearing No.AP 11Z 1130 distributed pamphlets propagating Christianity to the pilgrims travelling in that bus. One of the passengers by name Sri Arvind of Hyderabad complained the matter to the AV&SO Sri S. Sivananda Kishore, who after enquiry gave a report dated 11.4.2006 to the Vigilance and Security Officer, TTD (Copy of the report is enclosed as Annexure-III). Basing on his report, a case in Crime No.8/2006 (copy of FIR dated 11.04.2006 is enclosed as Annexure-IV) was registered against S. Balaraju and P. Babu, residents of Tirupathi and the police took up investigation. On the basis of the said complaint, Sri R. Sivananda Kishore (AV&SO, Sector-III, TTD, Tirumala), in his report recommended as follows: "In the light of instant case, the following recommendations may be considered to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future. 1. As per Rule 197 of APCHR and E Act 1987 the population living in Tirumala shall adhere to the norms and shall follow the sentiments of Hindu Religion. As such thorough probe has to be taken up to verify the antecedents of Non-Hindu Employees who are working in TTD as well as Government departments i.e., Police, Fire Services, Commercial Taxes and etc., who are staying in Tirumala. The identified employees and their families shall be shifted from Tirumala. 2. Some of the family members of the TTD employees such as wife, children are practicing Christian ideology and inviting the Pastors to conduct prayers in their houses at Tirumala. The above aspect may be carefully examined and steps taken to prevent the above activities in Tirumala. 3. In the Rule 198 of APCHR & E Act 1987 the following activities shall be prohibited at Tirumala :- (A) Carrying and possession of Holy books of other religions like BIBLE, QURAN etc. (B) Any kind of propagation of other than Hindu religion by way of distribution of pamphlets, Literature, Brochures, Stickers, Banners, Flags, including prayers and speeches etc." (iii) It is reported that two Christian women belonging to Chilakuluripet were found in the TTD queue complex and they were caught red-handed on 26.4.2006 distributing religious pamphlets to the pilgrims in the queue and were handed over to the Deputy Superintendent of Police at Tirumala by the pilgrims themselves. The Committee was informed that the Vigilance personnel took into custody these two Christian women and produced them before the DSP, Tirumala. The Committee was told that the Special Officer got released those two women after questioning them and arranged special darshan and gave Prasadam. When the Committee met the Executive Officer on 22.06.2006, Special Officer Sri Dharma Reddy was present and he told the Committee that those two women came from an old age home run by a Christian Mission and they stated that as per the wish of some of the inmates of the old age home who were suffering from AIDS, they came to get Prasadam for distributing it to those inmates, and on that representation of the two women, he permitted them to have darshan after signing the requisite declaration and gave them the Prasadam. No name of the Old Age home was disclosed. It is highly unlikely that a Christian would travel long distance to visit Tirumala to collect Prasadam offered by a Hindu Religious Temple to be given to the inmates of an old age home run by a Christian Mission. It should be noted that the two women did not disclose to the concerned TTD officials before entering the queue complex that they were Christians, and they got into the queue complex without signing the requisite declaration and obtaining permission of the concerned TTD officials. (iv) Two Christians viz., David (pastor) and Kumar, were found propagating Christianity in Tirumala and they were handed over to police. The police seem to have registered a case and kept them for two days on remand. Those two persons admitted that they committed a mistake. This was also confirmed by the EO, TTD who stated that the two were indulging in religious propaganda. However, strangely the Special Officer, Sri Dharma Reddy, stated that they did not indulge in any Christian propaganda. The two Christians were eventually released without taking any action against them. On 21st May, 2006, Special Officer Sri Dharma Reddy held press conference in which he stated that no Christian religious propaganda was going on in Tirumala. It is evident that he is not taking a serious view of these objectionable activities of the Christians at the holy place of Tirumala. Propagation of Christian religion in educational institutions in Tirupathi:- (i) Educational institutions at Tirupathi were established on TTD land and with TTD funds. It is brought to the notice of the Committee that in the colleges and hostels at Tirupathi, Christian religious propagation is rampant. The Christian students themselves are acting as propagators. Sri Deva Sangeetham, Principal of S.V. University College is openly indulging in propagating and converting the students to Christianity by making them go to Church, reading Bible and creating disaffection towards Hindu religion. After Sri Deva Sangeetham has taken charge as Principal, the practice of garlanding the portrait of Lord Venkateswara was stopped. (ii) After Smt. Veena Noble Das took charge as Vice-chancellor of Padmavathi Mahila University, she got removed the photos of Lord Venkateswara and Goddess Padmavathi from all the institutions of the Mahila University