Ayodhya Ram Temple Donation Theft Row Deepens; 3 Complaints Filed As SIT Probe Continues

Ayodhya: Three separate complaints were submitted to the police on Tuesday in connection with the alleged theft of donation money from the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, even as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) continued its probe into the case. However, no FIR had been registered till Tuesday evening.

The first complaint was filed by Dharm Sena founder Santosh Dubey, followed by Uttar Pradesh Youth Congress vice-president Sharad Shukla. The third complaint was lodged by the Karni Sena.

Reacting to the controversy, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said, "God's FIR will be much bigger. What will you do with the FIR that we file under the law?"

The SIT reached the Ram Temple around 11 am on Tuesday to continue its investigation. Ayodhya District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi and Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Gaurav Grover also visited the temple along with the investigation team. The SIT continued questioning employees suspected of being involved in the alleged theft.

On Monday, the SIT questioned Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and later summoned trust member Gopal Rao for questioning. The team also interrogated 42 employees associated with the donation counting process.

According to sources, the SIT first sought details of the alleged theft from Champat Rai before questioning each suspect individually behind closed doors. Security officials told investigators that while employees were frisked before entering the temple premises, there was no checking when they exited, a possible loophole that is now under scrutiny.

The names of five people, identified as Lav Kush, Avnish, Anukalp, Karune and Ram Shankar, have surfaced during the investigation. All were reportedly associated with counting donations received at the temple. Based on their disclosures, police have recovered around Rs 2 crore so far. Lav Kush and Anukalp are currently in police custody.

Karni Sena's state president Abhinav Singh described the alleged theft as "the murder of Hindutva" and demanded immediate arrest of those responsible.

"Ordinary people are sent to jail during investigations, but in this case the accused are moving around freely. If an FIR is not registered and arrests are not made, Karni Sena will launch a protest," Singh said.

The controversy began after former Uttar Pradesh minister and Samajwadi Party leader Pawan Pandey claimed on June 7 that between Rs 5 crore and Rs 7.5 crore had been stolen from the temple's donation collection. Akhilesh Yadav also questioned the government's silence over the allegations and said the matter should be examined by the court.

Champat Rai had earlier denied any confirmed evidence of theft.

As the issue gathered political attention, BJP leader Dr Rajneesh Singh wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 9 seeking a CBI investigation. The following day, the Prime Minister's Office sought a report on the matter from the temple trust.