Let’s imagine a statement being made repeatedly.  Everyone is saying it. Politicians are shouting it. The media is amplifying it. The messages are all over your WhatsApp and social media. The outrage is just building up around you. And you end up believing it.

Then a year later, it is clear that this was a lie – a manipulation meant to create divisions. That’s what is happening with the Tirupati laddu and ghee controversy. For months, it was proposed that animal fat, such as beef tallow, pig fat, or fish oil, was mixed into the ghee used to prepare the laddu–the sacred prasadam. But lab findings from two of India’s leading dairy science institutions have found the exact opposite.

There was no animal fat in the ghee. The chargesheet in the case shows just how easy it is to draw conclusions and manipulate people.

Let me explain. 

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