Pocketless clothes, strict frisking of staff and more CCTV cameras in the donation counting room are three key recommendations of an internal committee of the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), which was formed to audit the temple finances after an employee was found stealing currency notes and gold and silver coins.
The investigation into financial irregularities at the highly respected Badrinath temple is focusing on the handling of donations to the deity. The irregularities were revealed while counting cash offerings made by devotees on July 2.
Police have since registered an FIR against arrested BKTC employee Pramod Nautiyal, who was working as a personal assistant in the BKTC chairman’s office on Wednesday. The case has been filed with Badrinath police station under Sections 306 (theft by clerk or servant of property in possession of master) and 316 (5) (criminal breach of trust) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
A senior BKTC official, who requested anonymity, said the committee suggested that all employees involved in counting donations wear clothes without pockets to reduce the possibility of concealment.
“The committee also recommended that all those present inside the counting room, including staff and volunteers, be thoroughly screened before leaving the room,” the official said.
The committee also proposed increasing the number of surveillance cameras inside the counting room. At present, the counting room is monitored by three CCTV cameras, while the Badrinath temple premises have 32 cameras, up from 16 after the surveillance was recently upgraded, officials said.
Read also:The SC seeks SIT status report on probe into donation of Ayodhya Ram temple and issues notice
“If the recommendations are approved, we will increase the number of cameras in the counting room,” the official said, adding that this can only be done after multiple investigations into the alleged theft are completed.
Another BKTC official said the commission recently upgraded its CCTV surveillance system by replacing a 4GB digital video recorder with a 32TB storage system.
“Previously, limited storage capacity meant that footage would be overwritten in about two weeks, depending on crowd density and recording quality. The new system will allow us to retain footage for a much longer period,” the official said. We have also improved the quality and number of surveillance cameras throughout the Badrinath Temple premises.”
BKTC CEO Sohan Singh Rangar said the department’s investigation report has been submitted to the committee chairman for further action.
“There is currently no SOP for the counting room. Whatever decision the government takes will be implemented,” Ranghar said.
Explaining the current system, Ranghar said that all offers are deposited in closed donation boxes through narrow openings.
“When the donation box is full, three to four committee staff carry out the counting. Devotees also voluntarily help in the counting process, and their names and contact details are recorded. The counting room is under CCTV surveillance. We have never faced such an incident before. Any loopholes identified in the system will be addressed.”
The BKTC on Monday also denied reports alleging that CCTV footage had disappeared from the counting room.
“No such fact was revealed during the administration’s investigation,” Ranghar said.
