Badrinath donation theft case: Suspended employee arrested
What's the story
Pramod Nautiyal, a suspended employee of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), was arrested by Uttarakhand Police in connection with an alleged donation theft case at the Badrinath Dham. The arrest was made at his residence in Dehradun, and he has been taken to Badrinath for further questioning. Senior Superintendent of Police (Chamoli) Surjit Singh Panwar confirmed that Chamoli Police arrested Nautiyal on Sunday night.
Theft claims
Personal assistant to BKTC chairman suspended
Nautiyal, who was the personal assistant to the BKTC chairman, was suspended after a preliminary internal inquiry found alleged irregularities in donation handling at Badrinath Dham. The four-member inquiry committee set up by BKTC found these allegations to be prima facie true. CCTV footage allegedly showed Nautiyal "suspiciously hiding or stealing" cash, gold, and silver coins from the temple's donation counting room.
Official response
Nautiyal challenges suspension, FIR in court
The Uttarakhand government has directed the BKTC CEO to take action against officials responsible for financial irregularities, including payments for VIP guests at the Kedarnath establishment. An inquiry report found evidence of advance funds being released without approval, leading to a directive under the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Act, 1939. Meanwhile, Nautiyal has challenged his suspension and FIR in the Uttarakhand High Court. Justice Alok Mehra directed BKTC to respond by July 16.
Ongoing probe
Investigation into theft case by multiple agencies
The investigation into the Badrinath donation theft case is being conducted by multiple agencies, including police, Special Investigation Team (SIT), BKTC's departmental inquiry committee, and a high-level committee. The Congress party also targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party government after the Badrinath allegations, drawing parallels to similar allegations of theft at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.