Uttarakhand Police Arrest Temple Committee Employee For Alleged Donation Irregularities in Badrinath
New Delhi: As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Uttarakhand government continues to face criticism over alleged financial irregularities in the Kedarnath and Badrinath temples, the state police have arrested a suspended employee of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC).
According to Chamoli senior superintendent of police Surjit Singh Panwar, the arrested person, identified as Pramod Nautiyal was held from Dehradun on Sunday (July 12) night and was subsequently taken to Badrinath for questioning, reported The Hindu.
An FIR was filed in the matter on July 8, on the basis of the complaint submitted by Bhairav Sena, a right-wing organisation. Subsequently, a four-member inquiry committee constituted by the BKTC had found prima facie merit in allegations of irregularities in the management and counting of temple donations.
In the FIR, the now-arrested Nautiyal has been accused misappropriation and theft of offerings made by devotees at the temple. Nautiyal was serving as the personal assistant to the BKTC chairman.
The alleged irregularities in the two popular pilgrimage sites have also resulted in the opposition Congress slamming the BJP government in the state. Uttarakhand Congress state president Ganesh Godiyal has questioned the probe, alleging that attempts were being made to prevent the accused from naming others allegedly linked to the case.
Meanwhile, terming the incident as “unfortunate”, BJP MP and former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has demanded that the guilty must be punished. Rawat also underlined the fact that said the Devasthanam board, constituted during his tenure, would have averted thefts like this.
BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt has described the alleged misappropriation of temple donations a “grave sin” and said no one found guilty would be spared.
Earlier, an inquiry had revealed financial irregularities in the money spent on accommodation and meals of VIP visitors at the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand, leading to the state government ordering action against the officials and employees who are responsible.
The information obtained under RTI has revealed that around Rs 60,000 was shown as expenditure in the name of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state secretary Neha Joshi, while more than Rs 37,000 was linked to Kedarnath MLA Asha Nautiyal.
The expenses allegedly relate to accommodation and meals during the leaders’ visits to Kedarnath. However, both Joshi and Nautiyal have denied the allegations and said that they had personally paid for their expenses.
The alleged irregularities in the Uttarakhand temples have been revealed at a time when the BJP is facing severe criticism for the alleged embezzlement of funds at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
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