Preparation to form a new SIT in the Ram Temple offering theft case, now senior IPS officer will take charge of the investigation.

Lucknow:The case of alleged theft of offerings in the Ram temple of Ayodhya is once again in the headlines. To make the investigation of this high-profile case more strong and impartial, the Uttar Pradesh government is preparing to constitute a new Special Investigation Team (SIT). According to sources, the new team can be formed today or tomorrow. It is believed that as per the instructions of the Supreme Court, this time the responsibility of investigation will be handed over to a senior IPS officer, so that the case can be investigated in depth from every aspect and the final report can be prepared soon.

According to sources, the command of the new SIT can be handed over to Lucknow Range IG Kiran S. The government wants the investigation to proceed in a completely transparent and professional manner. This is the reason why this time not only police officers but also experienced officers of finance and administrative departments are likely to be included in the investigation team. The aim of this new team will be to re-investigate the entire case in detail, so that no fact or evidence is ignored.

Old SIT report will also be the basis of investigation

The new SIT will also study the report of the already constituted investigation team before starting its work. Documents, statements, CCTV footage and other evidence collected by the current SIT will form an important part of the new investigation. After the implementation of the new system, the current SIT Chairman, Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant and Special Secretary Finance Neel Ratan will not be a part of the team. After this, the new team will review the entire case and take the investigation forward.

All old and new evidence will be re-examined

Sources say that the new SIT will not depend only on the facts already available, but will investigate all aspects afresh. In this, verification of old evidence, re-interrogation of the concerned people and new evidence will also be collected if necessary. The government wants the investigation to be completed without any delay, so the team can be instructed to work expeditiously. It is expected that the investigation will be completed by the end of this month and the final report will be submitted to the government.

What action has been taken so far?

So far, eight people have been arrested in the Ram Temple offering theft case based on the investigation by Uttar Pradesh Police and the already formed SIT. The arrested accused include the names of Tinnu Yadav, Manish Yadav, Avinash Shukla, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra and Subhash Chandra Srivastava. The investigating agencies have recovered approximately Rs 80 lakh in cash, foreign currency, jewellery, vehicles and property related documents from the bank accounts and possession of the accused. Officials claim that this action was taken on the basis of important evidence found during the investigation.

The case was revealed through CCTV footage

The whole matter started when a complaint of alleged irregularities came to light during the counting of offerings. CCTV footage was examined in the investigation, in which some employees were accused of hiding the amount of offerings. After this, on the complaint of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the police registered an FIR and started investigation. During this investigation, many such facts came to light, on the basis of which the police took action against the accused and also made many important recoveries.

Questions raised on donation management

After this entire incident, many questions have been raised regarding the arrangement of donation management in the temple. The investigating agencies are also trying to find out whether there was any negligence in the security arrangements or surveillance system. Along with this, the role of other employees and concerned officers is also being investigated. According to sources, after the suggestions and instructions of the Supreme Court, the government now wants to strengthen the investigation of this case.