Amul has lodged an FIR over a ‘misinformation campaign’ that the company supplied ghee that allegedly contained ‘animal fat’ to the Tirupati Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh, a top executive of the Gujarat-based dairy giant said on Saturday.
“In Andhra Pradesh, the ghee used in Tirupati was found adulterated. Some people tried to spread misinformation that the ghee was from Amul,” Jayen Mehta, Managing Director of Amul’s parent company, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), told ANI.
“Therefore, we have lodged an FIR in the cybercrime branch of Ahmedabad,” he added.
Further, Mehta asserted that the campaign against Amul is a ‘serious issue’ as ‘36 lakh families’ are associated with the brand.
“Our products are of top quality and are subjected to stringent quality checks. We urge people to remain cautious of the propaganda against us,” he stated.
Additionally, Mehta clarified Amul has ‘never been a supplier’ for Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the trust which manages the temple.
Meanwhile, Lavina Sinha, DCP, Cyber Crime, Ahmedabad Police, confirmed Amul’s FIR.
“Yesterday, we received a complaint from its employees and an FIR has been registered. As per the employees, a few people with fake social media accounts have spread this misinformation that the ghee used in Tirupati ‘prasadam’ contained animal fat and Amul provided that ghee to the temple,” she said.
The controversy erupted after Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that ‘substandard ingredients,’ including animal fat, were used to make ‘laddus’ offered as ‘prasadam’ at the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, during the regime of his predecessor and political rival, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Rejecting the allegations firmly, Reddy accused Naidu of ‘playing politics on religious matters.’
