Badrinath Temple Priests Slam Uttarakhand Minister's Visit Amid Lockdown

Dhan Singh Rawat and other BJP leaders visited to the Badrinath shrine in Uttarakhand on Sunday.

Temple priests at Uttarakhand's Badrinath have objected to the visit of the minister in-charge of COVID-19 response Dhan Singh Rawat and other BJP leaders to the shrine, calling it a breach of the lockdown norms, news agency ANI has reported. The priests questioned the leaders' visit saying how could they come to Badrinath Dham when the state government has put a hold on the Char Dham Yatra pilgrimage for the general public in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to ANI. This comes days after Uttarakhand High Court had slammed the state government for not ensuring that COVID-19 rules were followed while holding religious events like Kumbh Mela and Char Dham Yatra in the midst of the pandemic. Earlier today, Mr Rawat and several other BJP leaders had visited Badrinath Dham.