Ram Temple: Youth Congress Vice-President Files Police Complaint on Gopal Rao's 'Yellow Zone' Pass
New Delhi: An eighth complaint has been submitted with police in Ayodhya on the workings of the Ram Temple since news broke of the alleged misappropriation of funds received by the temple trust.
This time, vice-president of the Uttar Pradesh Youth Congress, Sharad Shukla, has submitted a written complaint addressed to the Superintendent of Police (City), Ayodhya, through the Station House Officer of Nagar Kotwali, Ayodhya.
The complaint seeks an impartial investigation into what Shukla says is the "serious irregularity involving" a Yellow Zone pass issued for access to the highly sensitive areas of Ayodhya Dham. Shukla has demanded registration of an FIR and appropriate legal action against those found responsible.
Shukla claims that according to reports published in various newspapers, the Yellow Zone pass displayed on vehicle number UP-16-CB-6060, allegedly associated with Gopal Rao alias Gopal Nagarkatte, a Karnataka resident and former Special Invitee Member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, bears the name "Gopal Rao" and the designation "Trust Associate, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi", while the photograph affixed to the pass is that of another individual.
The Yellow Zone is the high-security buffer area surrounding the restricted Red Zone of the temple complex.
Rao has been in the news as the trust said earlier this week that it had decided to remove his name from its list of special invitees. While Rao said that he will visit the temple till July 15, the trust's treasurer Govind Dev Giri said that Rao will not come to the meetings as an uninvited member.
Shukla in his complaint stated that Ayodhya Dham, and in particular the Ram Temple, is among the country's "most sensitive religious and strategically significant locations."
A day ago, the temple trust noted that Rao's VIP pass has been deactivated.
In a press statement after he filed the complaint, he noted that a multi-layered security system is in place for the temple, and strict protocols govern entry into the temple complex and other sensitive areas. "In such circumstances, a security pass carrying the name of one person and the photograph of another is an extremely serious matter that cannot be dismissed as a routine administrative error," he said.
Shukla has asked whether there was a lapse in the verification of the applicant's identity, supporting documents and other records, or whether the original pass was tampered with.
As The Wire has reported, on July 2, the Faizabad Bar Association filed the fifth complaint in connection with the Ram Mandir funds theft case, demanding that an FIR be filed against the trustees, namely Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao.
On June 30, Ayodhya-based lawyer, Rakesh Kumar Pandey, lodged a complaint at the Kotwali Nagar police station seeking that a first information report be registered against the Ram Mandir trustees.
Earlier in June, three complainants – including former Kar Sevak Santosh Dubey and Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh – had approached the Ram Janmbhoomi police station in Ayodhya insisting the same.
A complaint by trust member Krishna Mohan forms the basis of the FIR registered on June 25.
Another was submitted by the Karni Sena on June 16.
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