Chamoli, July 4 (IANS) Badrish Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti has written a letter to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami demanding a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged embezzlement of offerings made at Shri Badrinath Dham, sources said on Saturday.

This comes amid the raging controversy over similar allegations regarding donations made at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Earlier, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) had ordered a formal enquiry into the matter.

BKTC President Hemant Dwivedi said the temple committee has taken the allegations circulating on social media seriously and has constituted an enquiry committee to examine the claims in a fair and transparent manner.

He added that notices have also been issued to the employees named in the allegations, seeking their explanations.

Dwivedi also rejected claims circulating on social media that identified one of the employees as his “personal secretary”.

Clarifying the matter, the BKTC President said the individual is not associated with him as his personal secretary but is a regular government employee of the BKTC who has served under previous chairpersons as well.

In his statement, Hemant Dwivedi said, “Allegations of manipulation regarding the offerings at the Shri Badrinath Temple are being made. The temple committee has taken this matter very seriously. A committee has been constituted to conduct a fair and fact-based enquiry into the entire episode. Notices have been issued to the employees facing these allegations, asking them to provide an explanation. If any employee is found guilty after the investigation concludes, the strictest possible action will be taken against them.”

Appealing to devotees and the general public, Dwivedi said that Shri Badrinath Dham and Shri Kedarnath Dham are revered pilgrimage centres for millions of people across the country.

He urged people not to circulate unverified rumours or misleading information on social media and instead wait for the findings of the official enquiry.

Meanwhile, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya, is scheduled to hold a crucial meeting on July 6, during which members will consider the resignations submitted by the Trust’s General Secretary Champat Rai and Trustee Anil Mishra.

The meeting will also deliberate on the ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into alleged irregularities related to temple donation collections and the management of the Ram Mandir.

–IANS

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