Ayodhya: Police arrests 8 people in Ram temple donation scam
What's the story
A case has been registered at the Kotwali Ramjanmabhoomi police station in Ayodhya after a complaint of theft and misappropriation of donations at the Ram temple. The complaint was filed by Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, two days after a Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the allegations, submitted its preliminary findings to the UP government. The FIR names eight people, including Anukalp Mishra and Lavkush Mishra, who have been arrested.
Evidence discovered
Six accused were temple employees
The other accused are Avinash Shukla, Tinnu Yadav, Manish Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, and Subhash Srivastav. According to sources cited by The Indian Express, some counting staff were involved in slipping extra notes into ₹100 currency bundles, which were later shared. The FIR also mentioned that six of the accused were temple employees who were caught embezzling money on CCTV.
Investigation progress
FIR registered after police approached the trust
The SIT, comprising Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, IG Lucknow Range Kiran S, and Special Secretary Finance Department Neel Ratan, submitted its preliminary report to Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Prasad. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reviewed the report upon his return to Lucknow. The FIR was registered after an Ayodhya police officer approached the Trust with a formal complaint.
Legal action
Final report could be submitted to CM within 15 days
The FIR has been filed under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Corruption Act. The SIT is likely to make more visits to Ayodhya before drafting a detailed report with recommendations for strict norms on temple management. The final report could be submitted to the Chief Minister within 15 days.