Probe ordered into Abhi-Ash Tirupati visit

The Bachchans, the Ambanis and Singh are all devotees of Lord Balaji, and had recently donated Rs 51 lakh each to the temple. They have also made donations to the tune of crores to the temple in the past.

VIP treatment, normally reserved for MPs, MLAs and judges, was also provided to the stars. The TTD Joint Executive Officer escorted them to the Ranganayaka Mandapam, the sanctum sanctorum, where a ritual was performed to seek the deity’s blessings for the young couple. They were reportedly inside the sanctum for about 20 minutes while the general public was made to wait outside.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy is said to have expressed his anguish to the temple authorities for allowing the star couple and their families to stay inside the temple for so long. State Finance Minister K Rosaiah said, “Why did the authorities take so much care of the celebrities? Piligrims shouldn’t have been stopped for that long and that is why we are angry.”

Following the controversy, the Executive Officer of TTD has been told to submit a report to the Board within 30 days on why Amitabh Bachchan and his family were allowed inside the shrine, flouting all the rules. The Board Chairman, meanwhile, washed his hands of the incident by stating: “I was not present at the time.” He added that henceforth, no VIP treatment will be accorded to “non-protocol” individuals.