Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], July 14 (ANI): Sohan Singh Rangad, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), on Tuesday said no one found guilty will be spared in the ongoing investigation into the theft of donation offerings at the Badrinath Temple.
The remarks follow the arrest and subsequent judicial custody of Pramod Nautiyal, an employee caught on camera allegedly stealing from the temple’s offerings.
Speaking to ANI, the CEO informed that a four-member internal departmental team has already conducted a probe into the previous counting procedures and submitted its report to the BKTC Chairman, which may soon be shared with the government.
“A four-member departmental team was formed by us. They investigated and mentioned points regarding the previous counting counters and the counting of plate offerings. We have submitted that investigation report to the Chairman. It was found in that investigation as well. If anyone else is involved, and if facts come to light for us or the police, no one will be spared,” he asserted.
Addressing the controversy regarding the limited availability of surveillance data, Rangad explained that technical constraints prevented the committee from providing the full 45 days of footage requested by investigators.
“The situation was that our old DVR/CCTV system was 4 TB and had 16 cameras connected to it. Because it was only 4 TB, and because the pilgrimage was at its peak during that time with heavy crowds, many people were constantly moving in front of those cameras. I asked about the technical side, and their explanation was that the more movement there is and the more colors the cameras catch, the more memory is consumed. That is the reason. Despite this, there has been no action on our part to suggest any discrepancy,” he said.
When questioned about why the theft went unnoticed despite 24/7 monitoring, Rangad attributed the lapse to a long-standing environment of trust and the nature of surveillance monitoring.
“BKTC has been functioning here since 1939. In all these years, including before my appointment, such an incident has never occurred. This is a center of faith; it is God’s court. Generally, everyone expects that no one would commit such a wrong act in this court. No such complaint had ever come before. Our CCTV monitoring is active 24 hours a day, and employees are stationed there. However, unless there is a specific complaint, they don’t focus on a particular point. Typically, a person is looking at 15 to 16 camera feeds running simultaneously. When a complaint arises, we focus specifically on it and review the footage before and after the event. Since no complaint had been made, no such notice was taken until then. As soon as the complaint was received, we took immediate notice,” he added.
The CEO further informed that a four-member internal departmental team has already conducted a probe into the previous counting procedures and submitted its report to the BKTC Chairman. He stated that the report may be shared with the government soon.
Regarding the money trail and potential accomplices, Rangad emphasised that the BKTC is fully cooperating with the police and the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
“The police are an independent agency from outside the temple committee. We are not putting any pressure on them; they are free to take whatever action is necessary against whoever is found guilty. As of now, no other specific suspect has emerged. If someone does, our department will take action, whether it’s seeking an explanation or other measures. Furthermore, a separate team has been formed at the government level for the investigation. With three agencies investigating the matter, I don’t think anyone will be able to escape,” Rangad asserted.
This comes after the employee arrested in the alleged misappropriation of offerings at the Badrinath Temple, Pramod Nautiyal, was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody by the District and Sessions Court in Gopeshwar and sent to Pursadi District Jail on Monday.
He was arrested earlier on Monday by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Chamoli Police from his residence in Dehradun.
Meanwhile, other temple employees seen alongside the accused in CCTV footage dated June 25 have also come under the scanner. (ANI)
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