Ram Temple donation row: All eight accused named in FIR arrested

Ayodhya: Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested all eight accused named in the FIR over alleged irregularities in Ram Temple donations in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The probe follows a preliminary SIT report that found prima facie evidence of wrongdoing.

All eight accused named in an FIR linked to the alleged misappropriation of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya were arrested late on Thursday, as investigators widened their probe into the handling of offerings collected at the shrine.

The case was registered following a complaint by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the Ram Temple, after a preliminary inquiry by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) reportedly found prima facie irregularities in the counting, storage and handling of donations.

Among those arrested is Ramashankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu, who is described in the FIR as an aide to the Trust's general secretary, Champat Rai. The other accused are Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra, and Subhash Srivastava, a retired bank employee who supervised the counting of donations.

According to police officials, all eight accused were arrested in Ayodhya and are currently being questioned. Authorities are expected to produce them before a magistrate as the investigation progresses.

The FIR was lodged after the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member SIT on June 13 at the request of the temple trust. The SIT conducted its preliminary inquiry between June 15 and June 20, examining donation boxes, cash-counting procedures, storage arrangements, accounting records, surveillance systems and access control mechanisms.

Investigators reportedly found indications of irregularities in the management of offerings, prompting the recommendation for criminal proceedings. Officials now aim to determine the scale of the alleged siphoning of funds, identify those directly responsible for handling donations and establish whether the suspected wrongdoing extends beyond the eight individuals named in the FIR.

The accused have been booked under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including sections related to theft by an employee or person entrusted with property, criminal breach of trust, cheating, receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy.

The controversy first gained attention after Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan Pandey publicly alleged irregularities in the management of temple donations. The temple trust subsequently sought a formal investigation, leading to the constitution of the SIT and the registration of the FIR.

The investigation remains ongoing, with officials examining financial records and other evidence to determine the extent of the alleged embezzlement.

(With PTI inputs)