Arya seeks committee headed by retired HC judge to probe Badrinath theft allegations

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun

The leader of opposition (LoP) in the Vidhan Sabha, Yashpal Arya has said that an independent committee headed by a retired High Court judge should be constituted to investigate the alleged theft of offerings in Badrinath Dham. He said that if required, an all-party committee of the Vidhan Sabha should be asked to investigate the sensitive issue.

He said that after alleged irregularities in gold coating at the Kedarnath Dham and alleged financial irregularities at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, reports of alleged irregularities in offerings at the Badrinath Dham have deeply hurt the sentiments of millions of Sanatanis. He said that the government should clarify its position on all these matters with seriousness, transparency and accountability.

Arya said that for the past 10 years, most of the members of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), including the chairmen, have been associated with the BJP. During this period, various allegations and irregularities regarding the temple committee’s work have surfaced from time to time, but the government has not conducted an impartial investigation and released its report publicly. He said that even in the Kedarnath gold case, the government has not yet clarified which agency conducted the investigation, what its report stated and why it hasn’t been made public. 

The LoP said that allegations on misuse of temple funds by officials, members and employees of BKTC have surfaced recently. It is alleged that temple donations were used for making arrangements for the Prime Minister’s brother, a minister’s daughter and the local MLA. He said that following these allegations, the BKTC chairman had claimed that the investigation report would be made public within 20 days, but even after more than a month, the report has not been made public.

Ayra said that now when the allegations of theft in offerings are being made, the BKTC chairman is talking about an internal investigation. He said that the internal investigation committee is not expected to be impartial. He said that Badrinath and Kedarnath are supreme centres of faith for millions of devotees. Therefore, allegations of any financial irregularities related to these temples are not merely an administrative matter, but a serious issue related to the religious faith of devotees across the country.