Ayodhya: The Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate allegations of misappropriation of donations from the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, officials said on Saturday.
Purpose of Investigation
The SIT has been set up to examine claims of irregularities related to the temple’s donation boxes and to ensure a transparent and impartial inquiry into the matter that has drawn significant public attention.
According to the official order, the SIT will be headed by Vijay Vishwas Pant, IAS, Divisional Commissioner of Lucknow. The team will also include Kiran S, IPS, Inspector General of Police (Range), and Neel Ratan, Special Secretary, Finance Department.
Trigger for Probe
The decision follows the Trust’s request for an independent probe amid allegations of financial irregularities involving employees handling donation collections. The controversy escalated after reports of suspected misappropriation of a large sum of donation money.
Earlier, the Trust had detained two employees responsible for counting donations on suspicion of irregularities. Both were questioned after reports suggested disproportionate assets in relation to their salaries. One employee was said to have purchased land worth around Rs 1.5 crore, while another allegedly acquired property worth about Rs 40 lakh despite earning a monthly salary of Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000.
Search at Former Employee's Home
In a related development, police along with Trust officials had conducted a search at the residence of former temple employee Lavkush Mishra in Meenapur Thakuran village under Rudauli area. During the search, cash amounting to around Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh was recovered, officials said.
Lavkush Mishra, 27, who had worked at the temple, has been accused of misappropriating donation funds. His family has denied the allegations and claimed that the recovered cash was taken away by officials during the search. They also rejected any link between the accused and property construction in Faizabad.
The Trust has said the allegations have been accompanied by rumours and misinformation and has supported a formal SIT probe to establish facts and ensure transparency in the handling of donations made by devotees.
With the SIT now constituted, the investigation will proceed under senior administrative and police officials to verify allegations and examine all related financial transactions in the case.
