DEHRADUN: Police have arrested a recently retired temple officer in connection with the alleged theft and misappropriation of offerings at the revered Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand, marking the second arrest in the case.
Rajendra Chauhan, who retired on June 30, was taken from Joshimath to Badrinath for questioning by the Special Investigation Team. He was arrested after prolonged interrogation and is expected to be produced before a court on Saturday, officials said.
Chauhan's arrest follows that of Pramod Nautiyal, an employee of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, who is considered the principal accused in the case. Investigators suspect that Chauhan was also allegedly involved in irregularities concerning the handling of donations made by devotees.
Confirming the arrest, Badrinath police station in-charge Mahadev Uniyal said, "Former temple officer Rajendra Chauhan was questioned at length. He was arrested after the investigation confirmed irregularities. The accused will be produced before the competent court on Saturday."
Police are also examining CCTV footage that reportedly shows the presence of three to four other suspects. The footage has widened the scope of the investigation, and further action could follow as the SIT seeks to establish the roles of all those allegedly involved.
The controversy surfaced on July 3 after Sandeep Khatri, founder of the Bhairav Sena, alleged that a temple committee employee had been misappropriating donations at Badrinath. Khatri also wrote to the temple committee seeking a formal inquiry, following which the allegations came into the public domain.
After the complaint, committee chairman Hemant Dwivedi ordered an internal investigation and constituted a four-member panel. The state government subsequently formed a three-member high-level committee. Police also registered a case and began a separate probe, leading to Nautiyal's arrest after investigators said they had obtained substantial evidence.
Meanwhile, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee has submitted its 18-page internal inquiry report to the SIT. The report proposes several measures aimed at strengthening security and ensuring greater transparency in the collection, counting and management of offerings at the shrine.
Among its key recommendations is the introduction of a pocket-free dress code for employees engaged in counting donations. It has also proposed mandatory and thorough searches of staff after duty, installation of additional CCTV cameras inside the counting room and stricter monitoring of access to sensitive areas.
The committee has further recommended the introduction of a clear standard operating procedure for handling offerings. Officials said the proposed safeguards are intended to close existing loopholes, improve accountability and restore public confidence in the management of donations at one of Uttarakhand's most prominent pilgrimage centres.