The Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has clarified that Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal did not enter the main premises of the Pashupatinath Temple wearing leather shoes.

The minister had made a private visit to the temple along with his family on October 22. 

According to PADT Acting Member Secretary Subhash Chandra Joshi, the Home Minister had not entered the prohibited areas with the shoes put on.

He took a family photo in front of a door at the Nairitya Kon (southwest corner) outside the main temple. The same photo was later circulated on social media with false claims, PADT stated.

The Home Minister had taken the photo in front of the door that was opened during the tenure of Basanta Chaudhary as the PADT Member Secretary in 2059 BS.

The PADT further said that Home Minister Aryal took the family photo on the pavement along the route from Aryaghat toward Guhyeshwari. 

The PADT Acting Secretary and a priest also appeared in the photo, which was falsely circulated on social media.

On Wednesday, the Home Minister paid homage at the Pashupatinath, Mrigasthali-based Gorakhnath, and Guhyeshwari temples.