Questioning the manner in which case was registered in a “hurry” against a former Rawal (chief priest) of Badrinath temple and the chief executive officer of the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee based on allegations leveled by a woman, the Kedarnath MlA Manoj Rawat has written to the Prime Minister seeking an impartial probe into this matter.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, the Kedarnath MlA states that Badrinath is one of the foremost shrines for the Hindus. He states, “Recently, the Chamoli district police registered a case against the former Rawal of Badrinath, Vishnu Prasad Namboodri and the BKTC chief executive officer BD Singh, based on an alleged incident related by a sadhvi which purportedly occurred about 25 years ago. During his term as the Rawal of Badrinath, Vishnu Prasad Namboodri had also taken up agitation for protecting the traditions of Badrinath Dham and religion. Thus, it might also be possible that those who tried to damage the traditions of Badrinath at that time may have conspired against him. In order to respect the dignity of a woman while also considering the sanctity of and the respect accorded by the Hindus to Badrinath, it was necessary to investigate the matter before the case was registered in a hurried manner against the former Rawal and the temple committee CEO. Such an investigation was not done,” states the Kedarnath MlA. Rawat further requests the Prime Minister to direct the State Government and various investigating agencies to ensure an impartial investigation into this case. He submitted the memorandum addressed the Prime Minister, to the Rudraprayag District Magistrate.