'False narrative' to arrest of Champat Rai's aide: How Ram Temple donations row escalated

WLid started with an allegement by a Samajwadi company MLA has snowballed into a fully fledged investigating, the filing of an FIR and the arrest of a close aide of Ayodhya's Ram Mandir Trust General Secretary Champat Rai. It is alleged that donation worth crores made by the Ayodhya temple devotees is now missing, and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust is under enhanced scrutiny.Among the eight people who have been arrested so far is Ramashankar Yadav, alias Tinnu, an aide to the trust’s general secretary, Champat Rai. Opposition parties have also amped up their attack on the government, alleging that many valuables are now missing. Besides, the temple trust received calls from devotees who have started asking about the silver and gold donations, including statues, they made for the Ram temple, according to people familiar with the matter.According to data presented by the Trust’s executive committee, it received donations worth ₹82.78 crore between April 1, 2025, and February 28, 2026. Besides, the ₹138.03 crore as interest">Trust earned ₹138.03 crore as interest from its bank deposits during the same period. It maintains accounts with the State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank in Ayodhya.How did the controversy begin?Allegations of irregularities with the donations emerged earlier this month after Samajwadi Party MLA Pawan Pandey alleged that between ₹7-7.5 crore in donations had been stolen or embezzled.Other Opposition leaders later joined the chorus and sought transparency in the details of the donations.The BJP-led UP government to quick to dismiss these allegations, terming them a “false narrative”.“Those trying to spread rumours about Shri Ram Temple are attempting to create a false narrative. The people of the state understand such politics,” deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak had said, accusing SP chief Akhilesh Yadav of spreading misinformation.Similarly, the temple trust also initially denied the allegations.Also Read: Kejriwal prays at Ayodhya's Ram Mandir amid donation row, says bigger players protected: ‘FIR just eyewash’Things changed after the issue took a legal turn.A lawyer filed a petition on June 12 seeking a probe into the matter, a day after which the Uttar Pradesh government constituted the SIT on a request from the temple trust.Advocate Mohit Ashok, who filed the plea, had reportedly claimed that he moved representations to the Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Vigilance), the Ram Temple Trust, the CBI and other authorities on June 8. According to him, it was after his PIL that the state government ordered the SIT formation. The special probe team was tasked with submitting preliminary and final reports on the donation issue.‘ ₹200 crore cash stolen’Claims of donations being misplaced are mounting amid the ongoing probe.Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in Ayodhya to visit the temple, on Thursday said items like sandals, jewelry, garlands and lamps donated for Lord Ram were stolen from the temple. "Diamonds and precious stones that devotees offered to God have been stolen, ₹200 crore in cash has been stolen, and even 200 kilograms of silver have been stolen," he said.Also Read: ‘Do not cast an evil eye on Ayodhya’: Yogi to Opposition over Ram Mandir donation rowMeanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday alleged that his party did not receive a receipt for a ₹1 crore donation it made to the temple trust. "We haven't received the receipt for ₹1 crore. When the trust was formed, we gave a cheque of ₹1 crore. We gave the first silver brick weighing more than 25 kg," he said, according to a report by news agency PTI. He also alleged attempts to shield Champat Rai and local BJP functionaries.FIR, 8 arrests so farOn Thursday, an FIR was filed in connection with the case based on a complaint by the temple trust. According to police, these are the eight people arrested in connection with the case - Ramashankar Yadav, alias Tinnu, an aide to the trust’s general secretary, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra, and Subhash Srivastava, a retired bank employee who was in charge of counting donations.Last week, Champat Rai was questioned by the SIT regarding allegations about the embezzlement of donations. The team also examined CCTV footage and the Trust’s records, inspected donation boxes and counted them, as reported earlier.