Badrinath temple donation row: Uttarakhand govt sets up panel to probe irregularities, BKTC employee suspended | Today’s news
An FIR has been registered against a suspended employee of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee in connection with alleged irregularities in the handling of donations at the Badrinath temple, police said on Wednesday, according to PTI.
The FIR was registered late on Tuesday against Pramod Nautiyal, who was reportedly posted as personal assistant in the BKTC chairman’s office. The action came hours after Nautiyal was suspended after a four-member commission of inquiry found allegations of irregularities in the management of donations to be prima facie true. BKTC is the statutory body responsible for the management of Badrinath Temple and other shrines in Uttarakhand.
The FIR was allegedly registered under sections relating to theft of property by an officer or employee in the possession of their employer and criminal breach of trust at the Badrinath police station.
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The internal investigation and the government investigation are running in parallel
According to PTI, Nautiyal was issued a show-cause notice on July 3 before a four-member internal inquiry committee probed the allegations against him. Based on its preliminary findings, the committee recommended his suspension, saying his continued tenure could affect the ongoing investigation. During the period of suspension, he has been assigned to the BKTC office in Joshimath and will draw subsistence allowance as per the service rules, the release said.
Speaking to a news agency, BKTC Chairman Hemant Dwivedi said the temple body follows a “zero tolerance policy” towards corruption, adding that strict departmental and legal action will be taken against any employee found guilty during the investigation.
As part of the investigation, officials are examining CCTV footage from temple premises, donation registers, cash handling procedures and other financial records. The BKTC clarified that although some CCTV cameras were recently replaced, the data stored in the earlier digital video recorders was retained and will be used during the investigation.
On Tuesday, the Uttarakhand government also set up its own three-member probe committee, separate from the internal actions of the BKTC, according to PTI. The commissioner of Garhwal division will chair this committee, which has been asked to submit its findings and recommendations to the state government within 15 days.
The report noted that the matter gained attention after allegations of irregularities during the counting of donations at the Badrinath temple surfaced on social media, after which an organization named “Bhairav Sena” filed a complaint seeking an investigation and registration of an FIR.
The controversy has also sparked political reactions, with Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal demanding either a judicial inquiry or a joint committee inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the state assembly, PTI reported.
Badrinath Temple, one of the four Char Dham Yatra shrines, receives thousands of pilgrims every year and processes substantial donations during the annual pilgrimage season, the report said. The state government said the probe is not only aimed at finding out whether there was any wrongdoing, but also to identify systemic loopholes and strengthen public confidence in the management of temple funds.
