 "Kedarnath temple")
A senior priest at Kedarnath temple accused the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) for misappropriating Rs 125 crore funds in the temple, however, the admin has responded by calling the allegations a "conspiracy" to tarnish the image of the temple.
In a video, reported by Navbharat Times on last Thursday, Santosh Trivedi, a senior priest and the vice-president of Char Dham Tirth Purohit Samaj (a body of Char Dham pilgrimage priests) has alleged a multi-crore scam in the gold plating of the temple’s inner walls by the BKTC.
In the video, Trivedi claimed that the temple’s sanctum sanctorum was covered in brass plate instead of gold plating, adding that the scam amounted to Rs 125 crore.
Trivedi also threatened to launch an “agitation” if those involved in the scam were not held accountable, primarily the administrative body responsible for the temple, BKTC.
Refuting claims
The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee dismissed these claims, stating that a "misleading" campaign was being run on social media. The BKTC termed the social media campaign a "conspiracy."
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In a report by ANI, the chairman of BKTC, Ajendra Ajay stated that the spread of this misinformation is the work of individuals who are unhappy with the significant increase in the number of devotees visiting the Kedarnath temple due to improved facilities implemented under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Who donated the gold plates?
The chairman of BKTC claims that the gold plating of the temple's sanctum sanctorum was carried out by a donor from Maharashtra with proper permission from the BKTC and under the supervision of experts from the Archaeological Survey of India.
According to a PTI report, the statement provided by the BKTC claimed that the donor provided copper plates, which were then gold-plated by their own goldsmiths and used to cover the temple walls. Ajay further emphasised that the donor solely executed the entire process and that the BKTC had no direct involvement.
Once the work was completed, official bills and vouchers for the copper and gold plates were submitted to the BKTC and recorded in their stock book. The gold plating was carried out as a donation, and neither the donor nor any firm imposed any conditions on the BKTC. Furthermore, the donor did not request a certificate under section 80G of the Income Tax Act from the BKTC.
The same donor had previously conducted gold plating for the Badrinath temple in 2005, as stated by Ajay. The gold plates provided by the donor for the Kedarnath temple weighed 23,777.800 grams and were valued at Rs 14.38 crore, while the copper plates weighed 1,001.300 kg and were worth Rs 29 lakh.
Political response to the allegations
In its official statement, BKTC also said, “At present malicious allegations are being levelled under a well-planned conspiracy.” The statement added that it was well-known that the “well-organised yatra” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had increased people visiting the temple. The statement read, “Such elements are spreading confusion to affect the Yatra and tarnish the image of Kedarnath Dham.”
Akhilesh Yadav, the president of Samajwadi Party, responded to the allegations by demanding an inquiry into the charges. Yadav further added that this was a sensitive and criminal matter and was playing with people’s faith.
“Layers of lies should be removed by conducting a high-level inquiry into this conspiracy,” stated Yadav in a tweet.
केदारनाथ मंदिर में सोने की परतों की जगह पीतल की परतों को लगाने का आरोप आपराधिक के साथ-साथ आस्था से खिलवाड़ का भी बेहद संवेदनशील मामला है।
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) June 17, 2023
इस साज़िश की उच्च स्तरीय जाँचकर झूठ की परतें उतारी जाएं। pic.twitter.com/bgZFUMu6IE
