QR code boards in Badrinath-Kedarnath: Uttarakhand Police forms probe team

The Uttarakhand Police has formed a team to probe into the appearance of boards bearing QR codes seeking donations from pilgrims outside the gates of Badrinath and Kedarnath, it said on Thursday.

The team -- headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Chamoli) Natasha Singh -- was constituted by Superintendent of Police Pramendra Dobhal, his office said in a release.

The team has been asked to coordinate with the cyber cell of Uttarakhand Police and uncover the case at the earliest.

It has also been directed to brief Dobhal's office about the investigation on a daily basis.

The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee had lodged a complaint at Badrinath police station earlier this month and demanded an inquiry into the installation of boards asking the devotees for donations through QR codes.

Cases under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code were registered against unidentified accused at Badrinath police station and Kedarnath police outpost for putting up the QR code boards outside the temples.

Ajendra Ajay, the temple committee chairman, had earlier said the boards were removed immediately after those were brought to its notice.

He had also clarified that the committee does not use digital payment methods for transactions.

However, soon after the cases were lodged, digital payments company Paytm issued a clarification saying it had put up the boards as part of a contract with the temple committee signed in 2018.

While the temple committee later admitted that there was a formal agreement with Paytm to put up such boards outside the temples, the company did not take its permission before putting those up, leading to the confusion.