Probe ordered into alleged irregularities in Shri Badrinath Temple offerings
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Chamoli: Amid the ongoing controversy over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, similar allegations concerning offerings at Shri Badrinath Dham have surfaced, prompting the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) to order a formal enquiry.
BKTC President Hemant Dwivedi said the committee had taken the allegations circulating on social media seriously and constituted an enquiry committee to examine the matter in a fair, transparent and fact-based manner.
He said notices had been issued to the employees named in the allegations, seeking their explanations. If any employee is found guilty after the enquiry, the committee will take the strictest possible action, he added.
Dwivedi also dismissed social media claims identifying one of the employees as his "personal secretary". Clarifying the issue, he said he does not have a personal secretary and that the employee concerned is a regular government staff member of the BKTC who has served under the previous three chairpersons as well.
"Allegations of manipulation regarding the offerings at the Shri Badrinath Temple are being made. The temple committee has taken this matter very seriously. A committee has been constituted to conduct a fair and fact-based enquiry into the entire episode. Notices have been issued to the employees facing these allegations, asking them to provide an explanation. If any employee is found guilty after the investigation concludes, the strictest possible action will be taken against them," Dwivedi said.
Refuting the claims about the employee, he said, "I wish to bring to everyone's notice that the person being described as my personal secretary is not one; I do not have a personal secretary. Such claims are completely misleading. The employee in question is a regular staff member of the committee who has worked with the last three chairpersons during their tenures."
Appealing to devotees and the public, Dwivedi said Shri Badrinath Dham and Shri Kedarnath Dham are revered pilgrimage centres for millions of people across the country. He urged people not to circulate unverified rumours or misleading information on social media and instead wait for the findings of the official enquiry.
He added that only after the investigation is completed would it become clear whether the allegations relating to temple offerings had any factual basis or were merely rumours. The committee, he said, remains committed to conducting an impartial enquiry and taking appropriate action based on its findings.
With IANS inputs