An employee of Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) was suspended after a four-member team on Tuesday began its investigation into alleged irregularities in the management of donations at Badrinath Dham.

BKTC is a statutory body which manages Badrinath temple and other shrines in Uttarakhand.

Speaking to PTI, BKTC Chairman Hemant Dwivedi stated that the employee, Pramod Nautiyal, was suspended after a preliminary inquiry indicated prima facie irregularities.

Nautiyal was serving as a private secretary within the temple committee.

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government has also constituted its own probe committee.

Garhwal Division Commissioner will serve as the chairperson of the three-member committee.

According to the order issued by Tourism Secretary Dhiraj Singh Garbyal, the committee will submit its investigation report and recommendations to the government within 15 days.

Dwivedi emphasised that the BKTC maintains a zero-tolerance policy on corruption, and if any employee is found guilty during the investigation, strict departmental and legal action will be taken against them.

The issue gained attention after allegations of irregularities during the counting of offerings at Badrinath Dham surfaced on social media. Subsequently, an organisation named 'Bhairav ​​Sena' lodged a complaint demanding an inquiry and the registration of an FIR.

Following this, BKTC formed a four-member panel last week. The team included Finance Controller Hem Kandpal, Legal Officer SS Bartwal, Chief Administrative Officer Rajan Naithani, and Kedarnath's Senior Administrative Officer DS Bhujwan.

The committee initiated the investigation based on CCTV footage, statements from the concerned employees, and other relevant documents.

Meanwhile, questions have been raised regarding the replacement of CCTV cameras. However, the BKTC CEO clarified that the replacement was part of a routine process and that the complete records from the old DVRs have been preserved for use in the investigation.

Amid similar accusations of theft of offerings at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the emergence of such allegations at Badrinath Dham has led the Congress to criticise the Pushkar Singh Dhami government in the state.

Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal demanded a judicial inquiry or a probe by a joint committee of the Legislative Assembly into the entire matter.