Who is Champat Rai, associated with Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, who came into limelight due to the offering controversy, the driver became a millionaire, who made the direct allegation?

Ayodhya’s Ram temple is once again at the center of controversy. Allegations of alleged irregularities in the offerings worth crores of rupees coming to the temple, properties of some people associated with the trust and disappearance of precious stones collected during the Ram Mandir movement have sparked a new debate in political and religious circles. Yogi government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter. The investigation is still going on.

Whereas the opposition is continuously demanding answers from the trust and the government. At the center of this entire controversy, the names of Champat Rai, General Secretary of Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Tinnu Yadav, considered close to him, and Trustee Anil Mishra are in discussion. At the same time, many people including Dharmasena chief Santosh Dubey have deepened the controversy by raising old cases.

Why is Champat Rai in discussion?

The Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate alleged irregularities related to offerings and donations at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya. The heat of the investigation now seems to be reaching Champat Rai, General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Opposition parties, some saints and former officials associated with the trust have raised questions regarding donations, offerings and management of properties.

Meanwhile, Santosh Dubey of Dharma Sena has accused Dharam Sena of land scam in Ayodhya and theft of 1250 gold and silver Ram stones. Santosh Dubey claims that if the government catches Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Tinnu Yadav, everything will be known. ​At present, the allegations of disappearance of property and old Ram Shilas of Champat Rai’s close aide and driver Tinnu Yadav have further increased the controversy. However, the final conclusion on these allegations will come only after the investigation is completed. At present, Santosh Dubey of Dharma Sena has targeted Champat Rai by making serious allegations.

Who is Champat Rai?

Champat Rai He is a senior leader of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. During the Ram Mandir movement, he was counted among the key strategists and handled the administrative and financial management related to the construction of the temple. He has played an important role in most of the matters of temple construction, donation collection and trust operation in Ayodhya. In the last few years, his name has come up in discussion in many cases ranging from land purchase dispute to allegations related to offerings and donation management. However, Champat Rai has been continuously calling the allegations politically motivated and baseless.

Who is driver Tinnu Yadav?

Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav is considered a close associate and driver of Champat Rai. According to local reports, Tinnu Yadav’s family was from an ordinary economic background and he had once driven a tempo and taxi. Later he became associated with the Ram Temple administrative system and started appearing in an influential role. The accusers claim that Tinnu Yadav has acquired a huge amount of wealth over the last few years, which includes land and other investments.

Due to these allegations, his property is on the target of investigating agencies and the opposition. However, no court or investigating agency has yet proved the charges against him.

Who is Anil Mishra?

Anil Mishra is a senior educationist, social worker of Ayodhya and one of the key trustees of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. He has been associated with the Ram Mandir movement and its related social campaigns for a long time. In Ayodhya, he is also known as an old worker of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Ram Janmabhoomi movement. He has played an important role in land, local coordination and administrative matters of the trust during the construction process of Ram temple.

Recently, some accusers have named him along with Champat Rai in the controversy of offerings and alleged financial irregularities, but till now no allegation against him has been officially proven.

Who is Santosh Dubey and what allegations did he make?

Santosh Dubey is the founder of Dharmasena and an old kar sevak associated with the Ram Mandir movement. He claims that till 2002, he had the accounts of about 1250 worshiped stones of gold, silver, diamond and Ashtadhatu which came from India and abroad for the Ram Mandir movement in 1989.

According to him, the mud stones that were there are still there. But the metal stones are missing. Champat Rai, General Secretary of Ram Mandir Trust, was responsible for the maintenance of these stones. These stones were kept inside three locks.

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas had launched a campaign across the country, in which people were asked for Rs. 1.25 and worshiped stones. People donated money and stones. There were also stones of gold, silver and diamond among them.

Santosh Dubey, founder of Dharmasena, claims that the work of accounting of these stones was with me. These stones were there till 2002, then they disappeared.

What caused Ramchandra? Slave death of?

He claims that Champat Rai’s role is behind this. Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust President Paramhans Ramchandra Das fell ill due to this shock and died. Ram Vilas Vedanti could not speak due to fear. According to him, theft of donations and donations has been going on in Ayodhya since 1989.

Dubey alleges that in later years these precious stones went missing and the responsibility for this lies with the then management. He has directly accused Champat Rai of the disappearance of the stones and irregularities in the donation management.

Santosh Dubey also claims that the irregularities related to donations and donations in Ayodhya are not new but are several decades old. However, these allegations have not yet been independently confirmed and the matter is under investigation and claims and counter-allegations.

Where has the matter reached now?

The SIT, formed after allegations of alleged scam related to offerings and donations of Ram temple, is interrogating documents, CCTV footage, banking records and concerned persons. Former accounts incharge Mahipal Singh, senior BJP leader Vinay Katiyar, Dharmasena chief Santosh Dubey and others have raised questions at different levels. On the other hand, the Trust and its officials have been rejecting the allegations. In such a situation, the truth of the entire controversy will become clear only after the investigation report comes.

What is the whole controversy?

Controversy has arisen regarding the management of offerings, donations and valuable items in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple of Ayodhya. Former accounts incharge Mahipal Singh alleged that there were irregularities in the accounting of cash donations and gold and silver jewelery coming to the temple. Meanwhile, questions were also raised regarding the alleged properties of Tinnu Yadav, considered a close associate of Champat Rai.

This controversy deepened when Dharamsena founder Santosh Dubey claimed that 1250 worshiped stones of gold, silver and other metals that came during the Ram Mandir movement had gone missing. The name of Trust General Secretary Champat Rai also came at the center of allegations. Amidst the growing controversy and political allegations and counter-allegations, the Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the entire matter.

What is the update on the offering and metal stone theft controversy?

At present, the UP government has constituted a 3-member SIT in this matter, which has reached Ayodhya and started the investigation. The SIT is investigating the monitoring system of donation boxes, cash counting process, bank records, CCTV footage and alleged money trail. Inquiries and documents were examined for several hours in the temple premises.

Trust General Secretary Champat Rai has said that the internal audit is going on and till now no facts have come to light to confirm the allegations. Ram Mandir Construction Committee Chairman Nupendra Mishra has said that there will be no laxity in the investigation and maintaining the trust of the devotees is the priority.

Sanatan’s opponents should be investigated – Akhilesh Yadav

Akhilesh Yadav raised questions regarding alleged irregularities in donations and later also commented on the SIT investigation. On the other hand, the Trust says that it itself demanded an impartial investigation so that the facts could be known and the rumors could be answered.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has said in this matter that let’s see what happens in the future… From the offerings, the matter reached the donations and from the donations to the land and from the land till the disappearance of Shri Ram Shilas worth billions of rupees. KYC of unregistered underground associates of BJP should be done. There should be a deep investigation into which anti-Sanatan gang is working behind this ‘big crime-big scam’ of Ayodhya.

What is the situation now?

Both the offering controversy and Shilachori controversy are at the stage of allegations and investigation. The SIT investigation is ongoing, but so far no official conviction has been established against any person, trustee or official. Only after the investigation report comes, it will be clear how much substance is there in the allegations and whether legal action will be taken against anyone.

Congress demanded a fair investigation

In a press conference held in Delhi on June 16, Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai raised questions on the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments regarding the Ram temple offering controversy and the alleged stone-breaking case. He said that when serious allegations like missing offerings of devotees and worshiped stones related to the Ram Mandir movement have come to light, then there should be a fair and transparent investigation.

Ajay Rai alleged that the government and the trust management are avoiding accountability and the truth of the entire matter should come out. Congress demanded that the SIT investigation be monitored in a transparent manner and that no person found guilty should get political or administrative protection.