NEW DELHI, June 25: Two persons have been arrested and a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at Ram Janmabhoomi police station in Ayodhya on Thursday following allegations of theft of offerings at the Ayodhya Ram temple.
The case mentions eight accused of whom Anukalp Mishra and Lavkush Mishra have been arrested. Six of the accused are temple employees responsible for counting cash. All eight were caught embezzling money on CCTV cameras.
The FIR was filed based on a complaint from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust against eight individuals on charges of embezzlement, fraud, criminal conspiracy and breach of trust in the matter of missing donations in Ram temple. The case is registered following a preliminary investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and after a written complaint filed by Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust.
Besides Anukalp and Lavkush Mishra, the list includes Avinash Shukla, Ramshankar Mishra, Manish Yadav, Subhash Chandra Srivastava and Karunesh Pandey. A search is on for Ramshankar Mishra, who is driver of the Trust’s General Secretary Champat Rai.
The case is registered under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5). “Today it has been acknowledged that theft took place in the Ram Temple. This is a victory for Ram devotees,” said Samajwadi Party spokesperson Mohammad Azam.
Uttar Pradesh Congress unit president Ajay Rai alleged the FIR was filed just to silence the anger of common devotee of lord Ram, alleging that the state government was trying to save big people like Champat Rai. “Orders have been issued to register an FIR in the theft at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. But, in the FIR, driver and small culprits are named. The government is trying to protect real culprits like Champat Rai and other trust members who oversaw the whole process of donation collection. Without their permission and active involvement such a massive theft cannot occur amid so much security and the presence of so many police force,” said Mr Rai.
Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) international president Alok Kumar on Wednesday had called for a comprehensive investigation and an FIR into the allegations of Ram temple embezzlement saying those found guilty should face the strictest legal action.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had earlier said the “truth will prevail” after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) completed its probe into the allegations of embezzlement of the Ram temple trust donations. He also appealed to political parties to refrain from making “baseless comments” until the investigation is over.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav earlier said reports have emerged claiming that crores of rupees from donations offered at the Ram Temple were missing and urged the court to take cognizance of the matter.
(Rohit Kumar)
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