The activists of Bharatiya Janata Party and Jana Sena Party on Monday evening staged a protest in front of the office of the Regional Joint Commissioner (Endowments) at Tirupati, demanding suspension of the Executive Officer of Srikalahasteeswara Swami Devasthanam and arrest those who installed and consecrated idols inside the temple complex without officials’ notice.

The BJP State leader, Samanchi Srinivas, said that the incident of bringing the idols of Lord Siva from outside and consecrating them in temple complex without the knowledge of the temple authorities showed the poor state of affairs. Despite the presence of high security and digital surveillance, the temple authorities were yet to identify the trespassers and book cases against them.

The temple was mired in controversies earlier too after allegations of occult rituals being carried out in and around the complex emerged, but action was not initiated against those involved in the issue. Instead, the officials facing the allegations still continue to be in their positions, he alleged.

Mr. Srinivas said that as the Srikalahsti temple is known worldwide for its famous Rahu Ketu puja rituals with multitudes of devotees imposing faith in the temple, it is the bounden duty of the authorities to safeguard the temple’s sanctity and uphold the sentiments of the devotees.

Later, there was a mild tension when the agitators insisted that they would not leave the premises of the RJC office unless a proper assurance be given to their demands. However, after the intervention of the police, the protestors left the venue peacefully.