Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple body staffer suspended as panel begins probe into donation row

Dehradun, Jul 7 (PTI) An employee of Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) was suspended after a four-member team on Tuesday began its investigation into alleged irregularities in the management of donations at Badrinath Dham. BKTC is a statutory body which manages Badrinath temple along with 44 other shrines and several schools and dharamshalas in Uttarakhand. Speaking to PTI, BKTC Chairman Hemant Dwivedi stated that the employee, Pramod Nautiyal, was suspended after a preliminary inquiry indicated prima facie irregularities. Nautiyal was serving as a private secretary within the temple committee. Dwivedi emphasised that the temple committee maintains a zero-tolerance policy on corruption, and if any employee is found guilty during the investigation, strict departmental and legal action will be taken against them. The issue gained attention after allegations of irregularities during the counting of offerings at Badrinath Dham surfaced on social media. Subsequently, an organisation named 'Bhairav ​​Sena' lodged a complaint demanding an inquiry and the registration of an FIR. A four-member panel, comprising senior BKTC members, namely Finance Controller Hem Kandpal, Legal Officer SS Bartwal, Chief Administrative Officer Rajan Naithani, and Kedarnath's Senior Administrative Officer DS Bhujwan, was constituted last week. The committee initiated the investigation based on CCTV footage, statements from the concerned employees, and other relevant documents. Meanwhile, questions have been raised regarding the replacement of CCTV cameras. However, the BKTC CEO clarified that the replacement was part of a routine process and that the complete records from the old DVRs have been preserved for use in the investigation. Amid similar accusations of theft of offerings at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the emergence of such allegations at Badrinath Dham has led the Congress to criticise the Pushkar Singh Dhami government in the state. Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal demanded a judicial inquiry or a probe by a joint committee of the Legislative Assembly into the entire matter. PTI DHM DPT