After Ram temple row, investigation ordered into alleged donation theft at Badrinath Dham

After donation theft at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, a probe has been ordered into the alleged misappropriation of offerings at Shri Badrinath Dham in Uttarakhand following claims on social media and a complaint by a Hindu organisation accusing an employee of the BKTC of stealing donation money from the holy shrine. Sanjeev Sandeep Khatri, president of organisation named Bhairav Sena, has alleged that a BKTC employee, who he claims to be the personal assistant to the committee chairman, misappropriated offerings made by devotees at the temple.

In a letter shared on social media platforms, Khatri alleged that the incident took place on July 2 between 8 am and 8:30 am. He claimed that his organisation received information from sources within the temple committee and it subsequently collected its own inputs before submitting a complaint to the BKTC Chief Executive Officer. In a memorandum addressed to BKTC CEO, Sohan Singh Ranghar Bhaurav, Sena has demanded that CCTV footage from the time of the alleged incident be made public and sought a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the matter. The organisation also warned of an agitation if no action is taken.

Meanwhile, Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) Chairman Hemant Dwivedi said on Friday that an inquiry committee has been constituted to conduct an impartial investigation into the allegations circulating on social media about the alleged misappropriation of offerings and donations at Shri Badrinath Dham. The allegations have been taken seriously, he said, adding that an inquiry has been ordered to establish the facts.

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Dwivedi said strict action would be taken against any staff member found guilty after the inquiry and explanations have also been sought from the employees concerned. The chairman also clarified that the employee being referred to on social media as his ‘personal secretary’ is not his personal secretary. Dwivedi said the particular individual is a regular government employee of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee and had earlier served as a personal assistant to three former chairmen.

He added that stringent action will be taken against those responsible if the allegations are found to be true in the investigation.
BKTC CEO Sohan Singh Ranghar said that notices are being issued to the employee concerned as well as staff members who were on duty at the relevant time. He said the CCTV footage would also be examined as part of the inquiry. The fresh controversy on donation misappropriation at a revered holy shrine comes within a month of allegations cropping up about embezzlement of offerings at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya.

The Uttar Pradesh Police are investigating the alleged financial irregularities after an FIR was registered on June 25 and eight named accused were arrested. The SIT constituted by the UP government has been granted additional time to widen the scope of its probe and examine all aspects of the case. The allegations prompted the resignation of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Shetta, Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and Trustee Anil Mishra, who stepped down taking moral responsibility for the incident. The trust will hold a meeting on Sunday and may take decisions on the resignations of Rai and Mishra. The Trust has said it is committed to ensuring a fair investigation and maintaining the faith of devotees.