Ram Mandir Trust: The debate has intensified in political and religious circles regarding the allegations of theft of Rs 7 crore related to the offerings made by devotees in the Ram temple of Ayodhya. Meanwhile, Mahipal Singh, who described himself as the former accounts incharge of Ram temple, has claimed that incidents of theft in the temple premises are not a new thing and he himself had caught many such cases.
According to media reports, Mahipal Singh said that he had informed Ram Mandir Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and Trust member Gopal ji about the alleged irregularities in the temple. He alleges that he was removed from his post the very next day of complaining. He also claimed that the CCTV footage of the last eight months of the temple complex had been deleted.
What allegations did Mahipal Singh make?
According to Mahipal Singh, Champat Rai’s influence in the management of the temple complex is very high and anyone who opposes his decisions is removed from the post. He alleged that no systematic record was maintained of the gold and silver jewelery and utensils coming as offerings in the temple.
He said, “When I was posted in the temple, there was no record of the gold and silver jewelery and utensils found in offerings. Only Champat Rai and Tillu knew where these were deposited.”
In which position has Israel worked?
Mahipal Singh told that he had worked as a depositor during the Ram Mandir Nidhi Samarpan Abhiyan and about 50 depositors used to work under him. Despite this, his signature was not even taken on the vouchers for depositing money related to temple transactions and offerings in the bank. He said that when he asked Champat Rai about this, he did not get any answer.
What is Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust?
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust (SRJBTK) was formed by the Government of India in February 2020 for the construction and management of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. This trust is a body of 15 members, which includes 9 permanent members and 6 nominated members. It is mandatory for every member of the trust to be a Hindu.
Who all are in Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust?
According to the trust’s website, prominent members include Padmashree K. Parasaran, Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, Swami Vishwaprasannatirtha, Yugpurush Parmanand Giri, Swami Govind Dev Giri (Treasurer), Dr. Anil Mishra, Krishna Mohan, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Champat Rai, Mahant Dinendra Das, Gyanesh Kumar (IAS), Avnish Awasthi (IAS), Ayodhya District Magistrate and Nripendra Mishra.
K in trust. Parasaran has been represented by Shriramlala Virajman. Apart from this, religious leaders associated with various temples of the country, representatives of Nirmohi Akhara, prominent citizens of Ayodhya district and a Dalit representative have also been included in the trust.
Which issues of Ram Mandir management were mentioned?
He also mentioned some other issues related to temple management. According to Mahipal Singh, when Ram Lalla was seated in the tent, thousands of devotees used to come for darshan every day, but there was not a single toilet for women on the darshan route. He demanded construction of toilets several times, but no action was taken. Similarly, all four wheelchairs kept for elderly and disabled devotees were faulty and requests for replacement were ignored.
Amidst this controversy, Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand also gave a statement in Etah on Thursday. He said that incidents of alleged theft in the temple have been happening since the time of Bhoomi Pujan.
While talking to the media on Wednesday, Mahant Kamal Nayan Das said that if there has been any irregularity then it should be investigated. However, he also raised questions on the investigation process. He said, “Who will investigate? The investigators themselves are not honest. Those who are creating ruckus today are also not completely innocent. People who once used to travel on bicycles, are today traveling in big cars and living in luxurious buildings.”
BJP demands investigation?
Amidst this entire controversy, Ayodhya’s BJP leader Dr. Rajneesh Singh has also raised the demand for investigation into the matter. He wrote a letter saying that Ram temple is the center of faith of crores of devotees and in such a situation there should be complete transparency on any dispute or allegation related to offerings, donations and temple administration.
Dr. Rajneesh Singh said that if the allegations are baseless then the truth should be brought out through investigation. He also demanded that the case be investigated by agencies like Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED).
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