India, Jan. 26 -- The Shri Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) on Sunday announced that the entry of non-Hindus will be prohibited inside 45 temples under its jurisdiction.

The announcement was made by temple committee chairman and senior BJP leader Hemant Dwivedi, who said that "preserving the religious and cultural traditions of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand was of paramount importance." Dwivedi said a resolution to this effect will be passed in the upcoming board meeting of BKTC.

According to the official, the entry of non-Hindus had traditionally been restricted inside these temples. He, however, claimed that these "long-standing traditions were violated during the tenure of non-BJP governments". "To ensure the sanctity of these shr...