By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Dehradun: After alleged embezzlement of donation and offerings in the Ram temple at Ayodhya, the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) on Friday ordered an inquiry into allegations of irregularities in the handling of offerings and donations at the Badrinath shrine that have surfaced on social media.
BKTC Chairman Hemant Dwivedi said the temple committee has taken the allegations “very seriously” and has ordered the constitution of an inquiry committee to conduct a fair and fact-based investigation. Explanations have also been sought from the employees concerned, he said.
Dwivedi clarified that the employee being described on social media as his “personal secretary” is not attached to him personally. He said the individual is a regular government employee of the BKTC who has earlier served as a personal assistant to three former chairpersons of the temple committee. “If the allegations are substantiated during the inquiry, stringent action will be taken against those responsible,” he said.
BKTC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sohan Singh Rangar said the matter, which went viral on social media on July 2, was examined after a complaint was received. CCTV footage from the Badrinath temple premises was reviewed, but the available footage lacked the required clarity. However, considering the seriousness and sensitivity of the issue, the matter was immediately brought to the notice of the BKTC chairman.
Rangar said explanations are being sought from the employees concerned, while an internal inquiry committee is being constituted to conduct a detailed investigation. The panel will examine all available evidence, including CCTV footage and statements of the concerned persons, before submitting its report.
He said that if any irregularity is established, strict legal and departmental action will be initiated under the provisions of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Act, 1939, and the employee conduct rules.
Appealing for restraint, Rangar urged people to avoid spreading unverified or misleading allegations until the inquiry is completed, saying the issue concerns one of the country’s most revered pilgrimage centres and the faith of millions of devotees.