BKTC suspends employee as probe into alleged theft begins

NEW DELHI: An employee of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) was suspended on Tuesday as a four-member inquiry panel began investigating alleged irregularities in the handling of devotees’ donations at Badrinath Dham.The suspension comes days after allegations of financial irregularities during the counting of offerings surfaced on social media, prompting the temple committee to order a formal probe.BKTC chairman Hemant Dwivedi said the suspended employee, Pramod Nautiyal was serving as a private secretary in the temple committee.Speaking to PTI, Dwivedi said Nautiyal was suspended after a preliminary inquiry found prima facie evidence of irregularities.He stressed that the temple committee follows a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and said strict departmental as well as legal action would be taken if any employee is found guilty during the investigation.Probe examines CCTV footage, documentsThe four-member inquiry committee, constituted last week, formally began its investigation on Tuesday.The panel comprises Finance Controller Hem Kandpal, Legal Officer SS Bartwal, Chief Administrative Officer Rajan Naithani and Kedarnath Senior Administrative Officer DS Bhujwan.Officials said the inquiry will examine CCTV footage from the temple premises, statements of the employees concerned and other relevant records before submitting its report.Questions have also been raised over the replacement of CCTV cameras at the temple. However, BKTC Chief Executive Officer Sohan Singh Rangad said the replacement was part of a routine process and clarified that complete records from the old digital video recorders (DVRs) have been preserved and will be used during the investigation.How the controversy beganThe controversy began after allegations of irregularities in the counting of donations at Badrinath Dham circulated on social media.A social organisation, Bhairav Sena, subsequently filed a complaint seeking an inquiry and registration of an FIR, alleging theft of offerings and urging authorities to examine CCTV footage.Following the complaint, the BKTC constituted the inquiry committee and directed it to submit its findings within seven days.The allegations have also triggered a political controversy in Uttarakhand.The Congress criticised the Pushkar Singh Dhami government, with Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal demanding either a judicial inquiry or an investigation by a joint committee of the state Legislative Assembly.Godiyal said allegations of irregularities in donations at Badrinath Dham, coming soon after a separate probe into alleged financial irregularities at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, had hurt the sentiments of devotees and called for strict action against anyone found guilty.BackgroundThe BKTC is a statutory body that manages the Badrinath Temple, along with 44 other shrines, schools and dharamshalas across Uttarakhand.Temple officials have maintained that donations at Badrinath and Kedarnath are counted through a structured process involving committee staff, bank officials and verified volunteers before being deposited in banks.The committee has appealed to devotees not to circulate unverified information until the inquiry is completed, saying the matter concerns the faith of millions of pilgrims.