|
The alleged theft and financial irregularities involving temple offerings at Badrinath Dham have now escalated into a political confrontation. Uttarakhand Congress President Ganesh Godiyal and Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) Chairman Hemant Dwivedi have openly traded allegations, further intensifying the controversy.
BKTC Chairman Hemant Dwivedi accused the Congress of politicising the issue, claiming that Ganesh Godiyal had served as the Chairman of the Temple Committee for a long period and that several questions had also been raised during his tenure. Responding to the remarks, Godiyal accepted the challenge and said that he was prepared to publicly answer every allegation made against him. However, the issue of the alleged theft of temple offerings at Badrinath was first raised by Bhairav Sena founder Sandeep Khatri. Sandeep Khatri alleged serious irregularities in the management of donations offered by devotees at the temple. Following these allegations, the matter quickly gained public attention and sparked a political war of words between rival parties. As the controversy deepened, the BKTC initially constituted a four-member inquiry committee. Subsequently, the Uttarakhand government formed a three-member high-level committee to investigate the matter. During the probe, BKTC employee Pramod Nautiyal was first suspended and later booked by the police. He was subsequently arrested, and the investigation is now progressing further, including an examination of the money trail and other related aspects. Meanwhile, on Monday, the employee arrested in the alleged misappropriation of offerings at the Badrinath Temple, Pramod Nautiyal, was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody by the District and Sessions Court in Gopeshwar and sent to Pursadi District Jail. Meanwhile, other temple employees seen alongside the accused in CCTV footage dated June 25 have also come under the scanner. Several other employees of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) are now under police scrutiny. During an examination of the CCTV footage from June 25, investigators observed a few employees alongside the accused displaying suspicious movements inside the counting room. Police have seized the relevant CCTV footage and intensified the investigation. On Sunday, police reviewed the video recordings of the offering-counting process conducted on June 25. Apart from the accused, the activities of a few other employees also appeared suspicious. As the investigation progresses, their role may also come under the purview of the probe. Police teams are now set to examine the CCTV footage from June 29 as well. Investigators believe that analysing recordings from different days will help establish the sequence of events and uncover any wider involvement. According to officials, high-resolution CCTV cameras were installed in the Badrinath Temple premises from June 27 onward. (ANI)
|
