After Ram Mandir, Badrinath Dham hit by donation scandal

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After allegations of embezzlement of Ram Temple donations in Ayodhya, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) ordered an inquiry on Friday into similar allegations concerning offerings at Badrinath Dham.

On Friday, a group named Bhairav Sena alleged financial misappropriation linked to the personal assistant of the BKTC President Hemant Dwivedi.

Dwivedi said, "I wish to state that the Temple Committee has taken this matter very seriously.

Hemant Dwivedi

"Notices - specifically show-cause notices - have already been issued by our CEO to all employees and officials involved in the counting process."

Dwivedi also refuted the claim identifying a specific employee as his "personal secretary". He clarified that the individual in question is a regular government employee of the BKTC.

BKTC's CEO Sohan Singh Rangad mentioned that the inquiry committee will submit its report based on available evidence, CCTV footage, and statements from the parties concerned.

Rangad stated that if any irregularities come to light, legal action will be taken against the guilty under the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Act, 1939, and the employee conduct rules.

Ram Mandir Trust to meet tomorrow

Ayodhya: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will meet on Monday amid the donation theft controversy, with a preliminary Special Investigation Team (SIT) report and the creation of a CEO post on the agenda.

They will also discuss the resignations of Gen Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra, who, along with special invitee Gopal Rao, have been questioned in the case.

No FIR has been lodged against the three officials, though lawyers from the Faizabad Bar Association have sought one. Eight people named in an FIR based on the SIT's preliminary report have been arrested so far.

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