Ex-office bearers of now-defunct Kamakhya Temple board face ED raid

“In order to siphon funds of Maa Kamakhya Temple, these ex officials hired related/ shell entities for supply of materials like electrical goods, cements, cleaning chemicals, manpower and other services. The funds were then transferred to entities owned by the officials or taken out in cash. Officials mischievously resorted to splitting of bills to keep value under Rs. 50,000/- so as to be compliant of court direction forbidding expense of larger amounts without permission of the Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup,” read the statement.

The ED conducted searches at the residences of Riju Prasad Sarma, the then Administration of the Kamakhya Debutter Board and two other now deceased former officials. It seized insurance polices as well as documents related to properties and business entities.

In 2015, the Supreme Court had declared the Kamakhya Debutter Board – formed in 1998 – defunct and ordered its dissolution after years of power tussle between it and the Bordeuri Samaj, families of priests who had traditionally run the temple. The Kamakhya Debutter Board had been formed by a rival group comprising individuals from the families of the priests, as well as representatives of sections who have traditionally not had a role in running the temple, and it took over the rights and privileges of the Bordeuri Samaj. In declaring the Debutter Board illegal in 2015, the Supreme Court had restored the administration of the temple to the Bordeuri Samaj.