Ram temple donation row: FIR against 8 on Trust’s complaint days after SIT’s preliminary report

ANumber one info cover ( true fir) was lodged on th against eight named accused and other unidentified persons on the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s complaint in connection with the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, pushing the controversy into the domain of a criminal investigation.The move comes under mounting political pressure and amid growing unease over allegations of theft of devotees’ offerings.The FIR was registered at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station in Ayodhya on the complaint of Trust member Krishna Mohan. The step was taken after a preliminary probe by a state government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) is learnt to have recommended criminal action in the sensitive case. The SIT’s preliminary report was submitted to the state government on June 23.Also read: Siya's family breaks silence on Ketan's murder: ‘Push the guilty off same fort, even if it’s my own daughter'Who all have been named in the FIR?Senior police officials said the FIR names Rama Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu, described as a close aide of Trust general secretary Champat Rai, along with Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Luvkush Mishra, Subash Srivastava, Rama Shankar Mishra, Manish Yadav and Karunesh Pandey. Rama Shanker Yadav Tinnu is a supervisor while others are cash-counting staff.The case has been registered against the eight named accused and other unidentified persons under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), relating to offences such as criminal breach of trust, cheating, theft and criminal conspiracy, senior police officials said.Also read: Row over Maharashtra MLA Sana Malik's remark on polygamy: ‘If its implemented in Pakistan…’The Trust’s decision to seek criminal action marks the most serious turn yet in a controversy that had until now remained confined to allegations, internal scrutiny and an SIT inquiry.The development also comes around 25 days after the issue was first raised by former Samajwadi Party MLA Tej Narayan Pandey aka Pawan Pandey.What the SIT said in its reportThe Uttar Pradesh government constituted the three-member SIT on June 13 at the Trust’s request. The team reached Ayodhya on June 15 and returned to Lucknow on June 20 after conducting its preliminary inquiry.Also read: ‘Happy birthday, please resign’: Abhijeet Dipke’s wish to Dharmendra Pradhan comes with a giftIt is learnt to have submitted a report recommending registration of an FIR. The SIT comprises Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, inspector general of police (Lucknow Range) Kiran S, and special secretary (finance) Neel Ratan.A state government press release said, “Following the alleged theft from offerings and donations received by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the Trust had sought a special probe into the matter. On the directions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to investigate the case. The chief minister had said that the SIT’s fair probe would establish the truth and that those found guilty would not be spared.”People familiar with the probe said investigators examined the chain of custody of donations — from collection boxes and counting to storage, accounting, access control and surveillance — and flagged prima facie irregularities in the handling of offerings made by devotees at the shrine.Now that the FIR has been filed, the move will allow police to summon and question suspects, scrutinise financial and banking records, seize electronic and documentary evidence, and make arrests, if required.Also read: India withdraws commercial LPG supply restrictions amid US-Iran deal hopesSources indicated that the investigation could widen in the coming days, focusing on the scale of the alleged siphoning, the role of those with direct access to donations, and whether the trail ends with the eight named accused or extends further.Opposition attacks govt amid donation rowThe Opposition had stepped up its attack in recent days. The controversy also caused visible discomfort within sections of the Sangh fold.On Wednesday, VHP international president Alok Kumar publicly demanded that an FIR be lodged against those involved. He welcomed the registration of the FIR on Thursday.“We welcome the announcement of FIR and are hopeful that the investigation will be fast-tracked and the guilty brought to justice as soon as possible,” Kumar said, according to a PTI report.No one from the Trust was available for comment on the development.Reacting to the FIR, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav posted on X, “The public believes that the FIR is being filed only after all evidence was wiped clean under the guise of the SIT, and decisions were already made regarding which ‘big fish’ to shield and whom to implicate.”“It appears the SIT was likely handed a pre-prepared report and conducted the investigation accordingly—meaning the conclusion had already been determined beforehand,” Akhilesh Yadav wrote.Ajay Rai, the Uttar Pradesh Congress president, said the FIR has no meaning unless it names those in the Trust. People who donated statues, goods worth crores but did not get a receipt, are blaming Champat Rai and others in the Trust and not the staff working in Ayodhya, he added.Ashok Pandey, state BJP spokesperson, said, “As assured by the chief minister, an FIR was lodged in the case. The CM has categorically stated that no one will be spared and stern action will be taken. The SIT will also submit its final report to the state government soon.”