Badrinath Donation Theft: FIR Registered, Suspended BKTC Employee Booked After Internal Probe

An FIR has been registered against a suspended employee of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) in connection with alleged irregularities in the handling of devotees' donations at the Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand, following findings of an internal inquiry.

The accused, Pramod Nautiyal, who served as a private secretary with the temple committee, was suspended earlier this week after a preliminary departmental inquiry reportedly found prima facie evidence of irregularities in the counting and handling of offerings made by devotees.

As per reports, the FIR has been registered under Sections 306 and 316 of the BNS (earlier Sections 381 and 405 of the IPC, respectively).

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The controversy first surfaced after allegations of financial irregularities during the counting of temple donations began circulating on social media. A social organisation, Bhairav Sena, subsequently lodged a complaint seeking registration of an FIR and an investigation into the alleged theft of offerings, while also demanding that CCTV footage from the temple premises be examined.

Responding to the allegations, the BKTC had initially constituted a four-member inquiry committee comprising Finance Controller Hem Kandpal, Legal Officer S.S. Bartwal, Chief Administrative Officer Rajan Naithani and Kedarnath Senior Administrative Officer D.S. Bhujwan. The committee was tasked with examining CCTV footage, employee statements and relevant records before submitting its findings.

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BKTC Chairman Hemant Dwivedi had stated that the committee follows a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and that strict departmental as well as legal action would be initiated if any employee was found guilty. He had also clarified that the suspended employee was serving as a private secretary in the committee.

During the inquiry, questions were also raised over the replacement of CCTV cameras installed at the temple. However, BKTC Chief Executive Officer Sohan Singh Rangad maintained that the replacement was part of a routine exercise and asserted that recordings from the earlier digital video recorders (DVRs) had been preserved and would form part of the investigation.

Dissatisfied with the temple committee's initial handling of the matter, the Uttarakhand government later constituted a separate high-level three-member committee to independently probe the allegations.

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The allegations have also triggered a political controversy in Uttarakhand. The Opposition parties demanded either a judicial inquiry or an investigation by a joint committee of the state Legislative Assembly.

The BKTC, a statutory body that manages the Badrinath temple along with 44 other shrines, schools and dharamshalas in Uttarakhand, has maintained that offerings at Badrinath and Kedarnath are ordinarily counted through a structured process involving committee employees, bank officials and verified volunteers before being deposited in banks. It has also appealed to devotees not to circulate unverified information while the investigation is underway.

[Source: TOI]