Madhya Pradesh Baglamukhi Temple Donation Scam High Level Inquiry Agar Malwa

The Madhya Pradesh government has ordered a high-level inquiry into alleged financial irregularities in donations at the Maa Baglamukhi Temple in Nalkheda, Agar Malwa, following complaints that an unauthorised private committee had been collecting cash and valuables from devotees outside the official temple administration.

Tourism Minister Dharmendra Lodhi said the state would take strict action against those responsible. The Baglamukhi Temple case assumes added significance as it comes on the heels of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation controversy.

The Maa Baglamukhi Temple at Nalkheda is one of Madhya Pradesh’s most prominent Shakti shrines and is administered by the state through an official management committee headed by the local Sub-Divisional Magistrate. Thousands of devotees, including political leaders, visit the temple every year.

“The matter has come to my notice, where some people who have no relation with the Baglamukhi Temple administration are illegally taking money by getting receipts printed in the name of the temple. We have ordered the Collector to take action, and a committee has been constituted to probe the matter. Those found guilty will not be spared. Our government will take the most stringent action in the matter. The temples under state administration are audited every three months. We will not tolerate such irregularities,” Lodhi said.

An order issued by Agar Malwa Collector Preeti Yadav on July 7 states that serious complaints have been received alleging that a non-government committee had been operating inside the temple premises independently of the government-run management committee. The complaints allege that the body accepted donations from devotees in cash, gold and silver ornaments, used private bank accounts, and was involved in financial irregularities.

To investigate the allegations, the district administration has constituted a three-member inquiry committee headed by District Panchayat CEO B S Solanki. District Treasury Officer Manish Solanki and Nalkheda Chief Municipal Officer Mini Agrawal are the other members.

The committee has been tasked with examining whether any unregistered or private committee created a parallel donation collection mechanism within the temple, verifying receipt books, bank accounts and records relating to cash, gold and silver donations, and determining whether any government officials, temple management personnel or others were involved.

The inquiry team has been directed to immediately “inspect the temple premises, examine relevant records, record statements of concerned parties, collect evidence, and submit a report along with its findings and recommendations to the Collector within seven days,” a senior district official said.

According to complaints cited in the inquiry order, the alleged parallel system operated separately from the officially administered temple management committee, raising concerns over the handling of devotees’ donations and the transparency of financial records.