Tirumala: The TTD chairman B R Naidu appealed to devotees of Sri Venkateswara not to donate under any circumstances to organisations that are attempting to mislead devotees.

In a statement on Thursday, he said it had come to the notice of TTD that certain individuals operating under the name, Global Hindu Heritage Foundation and savetemples.org are spreading false information claiming that an event will be held on November 29 to declare Tirumala, Tirupati and Tiruchanoor as Punyakshetrams.

These individuals are reportedly misleading devotees with fraudulent activities and attempting to collect donations deceitfully.

He said devotees should remain vigilant, refrain from giving donations to such suspicious organisations and avoid falling prey to their traps.

The chairman said that under the leadership of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, all necessary measures are being taken to protect the sanctity of Tirumala and uphold the faith of devotees.

Meanwhile, TTD vigilance wing has registered a case against the owner and driver of a Tamil Nadu-registered vehicle (registration no. TN-31-AE-4073) for displaying a sticker bearing a symbol of another religion on the vehicle while on the Tirumala hill.

As per TTD rules, vehicles entering the sacred Tirumala hills are strictly prohibited from displaying religious symbols or propaganda of faiths other than Hinduism, in order to preserve the sanctity of the hill shrine dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateswara.

The vehicle entered Tirumala through the Alipiri footpath route on Thursday. At approximately 10.40 am, it passed through Lane 9 at the Alipiri checkpoint. The on-duty security personnel failed to notice the prohibited religious sticker on the vehicle.

After the vehicle reached the hilltop, alert vigilance officials spotted it parked near the fire station, immediately located the offending sticker, removed it, and impounded the vehicle temporarily.

A case has been registered against both the vehicle owner and the driver under relevant provisions. Departmental action has also been initiated against the checkpoint staff member for the lapse in screening.

TTD authorities reiterated that strict enforcement of the ‘no non-Hindu religious symbols’ rule will continue to maintain the spiritual atmosphere of Tirumala, and urged devotees and visitors to cooperate by removing any such symbols before ascending the sacred hills.