A suspended employee of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has been booked over alleged irregularities in the handling of donations at the Badrinath temple, police said on Wednesday.
An FIR was registered against Pramod Nautiyal, who served as the private secretary to the BKTC chairman, at the Badrinath police station late on Tuesday.
Nautiyal was suspended earlier the same day after a four-member inquiry committee constituted by the temple committee found prima facie evidence of irregularities in the management of temple donations.
Police said the FIR has been registered under Sections 306 (theft by clerk or servant of property in the possession of the employer) and 316(5) (criminal breach of trust) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Separately, the Uttarakhand government has constituted a three-member committee to probe the allegations. Headed by the Garhwal Divisional Commissioner, the panel has been asked to submit its findings and recommendations within 15 days.
The controversy erupted after allegations of irregularities during the counting of donations at the Badrinath temple surfaced on social media. A group called Bhairav Sena subsequently lodged a complaint, seeking a probe and registration of an FIR.
The BKTC is the statutory body responsible for managing the Badrinath temple and several other shrines in Uttarakhand.
(With inputs from PTI)
