Ujjain/Indore: Close on the heels of the alleged Ram temple donation theft that grabbed national headlines, the Agar Malwa district administration has ordered a probe into an alleged breach in the donation system at the famous Maa Baglamukhi temple in Nalkheda, where a non-government organisation is accused of collecting cash and gold and silver ornaments without official authorisation.Agar Malwa collector Preeti Yadav on Tuesday constituted a three-member inquiry committee to investigate complaints that the private committee has been operating inside the temple since 2024, allegedly accepting donations by issuing its own receipts despite having no legal authority to do so.Collector Yadav told TOI, “Acting on reports and complaints against a non-govt organisation, a probe has been ordered and the committee has been asked to submit its report within seven days.”According to the complaints, the organisation got receipt books printed as donation slips and used them to collect cash, gold and silver ornaments from devotees inside the temple premises. The receipts reportedly mention the account number of a private bank along with several mobile numbers.Under existing rules, the Maa Baglamukhi temple is fully administered by the govt through an official management committee headed by the local SDM. No private organisation is permitted to collect donations or ornaments within the temple premises outside the prescribed government system.The complaints further allege that over the past two years, the unauthorised committee collected cash and gold and silver ornaments worth lakhs of rupees. They also claim that neither the official temple management committee nor the private committee has maintained any public account of the collections.Collector Yadav said the inquiry committee is headed by chief executive officer (CEO) BS Solanki, with district treasury officer Manish Solanki and Nalkheda chief municipal officer Mini Agarwal as members.The team has been directed to inspect the temple premises, examine the donation collection mechanism, verify accounts relating to cash, gold and silver collections, and submit its report along with recommendations within seven days, she said.The Maa Baglamukhi temple at Nalkheda is one of Madhya Pradesh’s prominent shrines, attracting thousands of devotees, including several prominent politicians, who visit to perform rituals believed to help overcome adversaries, particularly during election season.
