State Official Held 'Hostage' By Angry Priests, Locals At Kedarnath Dham

There is anger over what "mismanagement" of the Kedarnath Dham Yatra route and facilities for 2024, including for VIP visits and prayers, which has reportedly caused inconvenience to locals.

Angry priests held a senior civil servant - Arvind Pandey, the Secretary of the State Information Commission - hostage for two-and-a-half hours in Uttarakhand's temple town of Kedarnath, amid protests over the demolition of buildings and roadside shops owned and operated by priests.

Mr Pandey was reportedly locked into a room at a committee member's home.

There is anger over what "mismanagement" of the Kedarnath Dham Yatra route and facilities for 2024, including for VIP visits and prayers, which they say has caused inconvenience to locals.