Dehradun, Jan. 27 -- The Chairman of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, Hemant Dwivedi, on Tuesday defended banning the entry of non-Hindus in the Shri Badrinath and Kedarnath Dhams, saying that the proposal is being tabled to maintain the sanctity of the temples.

Speaking to ANI, he said the committee plans to submit a proposal to ban the entry of all non-Hindus to all 46 temples under the Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC).

"Administrators and priests of all major temples in the state believed that to maintain the sanctity of the temples, a ban on the entry of non-Hindus needed to be imposed. In the upcoming meeting of the BKTC, we are going to bring a proposal for all the 46 temples that come under the juri...