Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Times of India
The Times of India
National
Kautilya Singh | TNN

Security a worry for Kedarnath shrine decked with 230kg of gold

DEHRADUN: Concerned over gold worth crores lying in the Kedarnath shrine, local authorities and priests have written to the state administration urging for better security arrangements to guard all that gold. What’s adding to the anxiety is that the shrine in Rudraprayag is now shut for the winter months, standing aloof in the desolate wilderness, and will open only in May.

On October 26, a day before the temple closed, gold plating of the sanctum sanctorum was completed with estimates that over 230kg of the precious metal was used. However, security arrangements have not been enhanced and only 11 personnel of the Uttarakhand Police have been deputed to keep vigil — that too “temporarily”, according to some priests. In the past, a gold ‘kalash’ and some other items had been stolen from the temple, according to the Kedarnath head priest Bhimashankar Ling.

Ajendra Ajay, chief of Badri Kedar Temple Committee (BKTC), has written to Uttarakhand chief secretary SS Sandhu asking for more security at Kedarnath.

Rudraprayag SP Ayush Agarwal said, “A police team, along with some BKTC staff, are stationed at Kedarnath.” He refuted contention that the cops will leave their post after a while.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.