‘Do not cast an evil eye on Ayodhya’: Yogi to Opposition over Ram Mandir donation row

UTtar Pradesh chief government minister Yogi Adityanath on fri attacked the oppositeness o'er its unfavorable judgment of the alleged embezzlement of donations meant for the Ram Temple, saying action was initiated immediately after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted its report.Addressing the controversy, Adityanath said those responsible had been arrested and warned against using the issue to target Ayodhya or devotees of Lord Ram.“Do not cast an evil eye on Ayodhya. Do not test Ram's devotees. If there is evidence, present it before the SIT,” he said, taking aim at Opposition parties questioning the handling of the case, reported news agency PTI.Speaking at a public meeting in Deoria, Adityanath sought to reassure devotees that the government would not allow anyone to misuse public faith. He also took a swipe at critics of the government's response to the controversy.“The SIT report came and action started immediately. I assure you that, as I had said, we will separate truth from falsehood,” he said.'No exemption' for those found guiltyAdityanath said the government viewed the matter seriously because it involved the faith of millions of devotees. He warned that anyone found responsible for wrongdoing would not be shielded."Playing with public sentiment is unacceptable. Whoever tampers with the faith of Sanatan Dharma will have to face the consequences. No one can be given any exemption," he said.His remarks come amid a political row over allegations of irregularities in donations received at the Ram Temple, with Opposition parties questioning the handling of temple funds and demanding accountability.Eight arrested in donation embezzlement caseMeanwhile, eight people named in an FIR linked to the alleged embezzlement of Ram Temple donations have been arrested, senior officials said on Friday.As reported by HT earlier, the arrests came a day after Uttar Pradesh Police registered an FIR over alleged irregularities in donations received at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.The complaint was filed by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple. The FIR named eight people, including Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, an aide to the trust's general secretary Champat Rai.According to investigators, Yadav's role in the collection and movement of donations is under scrutiny. The other accused arrested in the case are Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava, a retired bank employee who was responsible for counting donations.The case was registered after a three-member SIT submitted its preliminary report recommending criminal action. The allegations were first raised by Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan Pandey.Those named in the FIR have been booked under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to criminal breach of trust, cheating, theft and criminal conspiracy.The Uttar Pradesh government had constituted the SIT on June 13 following a request from the temple trust. The panel conducted a preliminary inquiry in Ayodhya between June 15 and June 20 before submitting its report to the government.