Actor-politician Archana Gautam has alleged that Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) employee misbehaved with her and asked for Rs 10,500 for darshan of Lord Venkateshwara. In a tweet, the Congress leader claimed, “Hindu religious places in India have become the den of loot. In the name of Dharma, TTD employees misbehave with women. Action must be taken against them. I appeal to the Andhra government. They are taking Rs 10,500 in the name of VIP darshan. Stop the loot.”
Archana Gautam also uploaded a video wherein she was seen misbehaving and physically assaulting TTD staff members. “Just shut up,” she yelled at one of the employees. Archana alleged that she was denied entry into the temple premises despite having a valid ticket.
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According to Archana Gautam’s allegations, she had made the booking for darshan but on arrival, the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) staff refused to give her the ticket and demanded Rs 10,500.
However, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam condemned the attack on its employees and issued a clarification into the matter. In a tweet, they wrote, “TTD vehemently refutes the untrue claims made by actress Archana Gautam.”
“It was seen in the video taken by the staff how the woman behaved in an arrogant manner using filthy words against the staff. She was also seen pushing and hitting an on-duty staff member,” added TTD.
The TTD accused Archana Gautam of falsely claiming that the Additional EO Office staff sought Rs 10,500 for her ticket. They have urged the devotees to not fall for the baseless allegations of the Congress leader.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam has issued various statements regarding the matter. They also cleared that Archana’s ticket was valid for August 30 and since she was late, she was not allowed initially. However, later, Archana was issued a ticket for Rs 300, which she denied.
