Ex-BKTC Employee Arrested in Badrinath Temple Donation Scam
13 July 2026 3:21 PM IST13 July 2026 3:21 PM IST
Suspended temple committee employee held over alleged embezzlement of offerings as police probe irregularities in donation management.
Uttarakhand Police arrested a former Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee employee over alleged irregularities and embezzlement of donations at the Badrinath temple.
The Uttarakhand Police has arrested former Badrinath temple committee employee Pramod Nautiyal in connection with alleged irregularities in the handling of donations at the shrine, police said on Monday.Nautiyal was arrested from his residence here on Sunday night by the Chamoli Police and taken to Badrinath, where he is currently being questioned, Senior Superintendent of Police, Chamoli, Surjit Singh Panwar said.
Nautiyal is a suspended employee of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC).
Panwar told PTI that a case was registered on July 8 at the Badrinath police station based on a complaint by temple committee official Yudhvir Farswan. The complaint accused Nautiyal of embezzling temple offerings.
According to the SSP, preliminary investigation and the CCTV footage showed that Nautiyal allegedly took away some items and cash and based on this evidence, he was arrested.
An FIR was lodged late Tuesday night against Nautiyal, who served as the Personal Assistant to the BKTC chairman, police said.
The BKTC's four-member inquiry committee had found the allegations of irregularities in donation management against Nautiyal to be prima facie true.
The BKTC is a statutory body which manages the Badrinath temple and other shrines in Uttarakhand.
The arrest of Nautiyal triggered a war of words between the ruling BJP and the Congress.
Congress state president and former BKTC president Ganesh Godiyal has questioned the investigation, alleging the arrested employee is being pressured not to name any other individuals.
Godiyal said that unless action is taken against the BKTC president and he is removed from his post, the investigation cannot be trusted.
BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt said the alleged embezzlement of offerings to Badrinath temple is a grave sin.
The government will not protect any offenders and will take strict action against anyone found guilty, he said, adding the arrest of Nautiyal makes it clear that the government is taking impartial action.
He demanded that legal action be taken against any other culprit identified in the investigation.
The Uttarakhand government had constituted a three-member probe committee last week to probe the allegations.
The Garhwal division commissioner is the chairperson of the committee, which will submit its findings and recommendations to the state government.
The issue gained attention after allegations of irregularities during the counting of donations at the Badrinath temple surfaced on social media. Subsequently, an organisation named 'Bhairav Sena' lodged a complaint, demanding an inquiry and the registration of an FIR in the matter.
( Source : PTI )
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