Appearance of religious symbol in Tirupati triggers public outcry

Tirupati, Feb 21: Sudden appearance of the Christ's Cross on the walls of SV Arts College in Tirupati town triggered a major public outcry on Saturday. Though there is no bar on the promotion of any other religion in the world famous temple town, the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly had enacted a bill banning proselytisation (To attempt to convert someone to one's own religious faith.) in Tirupati. Therefore, the public outcry over the sudden appearance of the Cross on the walls of the college. Consequently, TTD executive officer Dr.D Sambasiva Rao is said to have ordered a vigilance inquiry into the appearance of the images on the walls of the college building on Friday evening. Sambasiva Rao also directed Devasthanam's Educational Officer (DEO) Dr. A Vijay Kumar to institute a departmental probe into the incident. Later, Vijay Kumar lodged a complaint at the university police station on the development. Meantime, TTD's department of engineering wiped off the Cross marks on the walls of the college.