Ram Temple Funds Theft Probe: 'Ram Rajya Kosh' Under Scanner, Police Seek Custody of Avinash Shukla
New Delhi: The Ayodhya Police's probe into the alleged misappropriation of donations at the Ram Temple has widened to include inquiry into the financial transactions of the accused and their associated, movable and immovable asset records and the role of those involved in the counting and handling of devotee's offerings, reports say. A parallel donation collection initiative is also under the scanner.
The police have sought a two-day police custody remand for key accused Avinash Shukla, from whose premises the highest amount of money, nearly Rs 20.39 lakh, was recovered.
The custody plea follows Shukla's interrogation by investigating officer Ashutosh Tewari inside Ayodhya jail, during which, according to officials cited by Hindustan Times, he named certain trust functionaries. Police have also carried out additional searches at the residences of the accused named in the first information report filed on June 25. Besides the cash recovered from Shukla's house, officials have recovered Rs 18.07 lakh from Karunesh Pandey, Rs 16.82 lakh from Anukalp Mishra, Rs 14.25 lakh from Lavkush Mishra, Rs 7.32 from Ramashankar Mishra and Rs 1 lakh from Ramashankar Yadav, as per a PTI report. Authorities have also seized foreign currency, including over $1,110, along with 11 gm of gold and roughly 375 gm of silver.
The scope of the investigation has expanded beyond the eight arrested accused. According to the HT report, police are now scrutinising the role of two State Bank of India (SBI) Grade 3 employees who routinely supervised the counting of donations before the cash was deposited into the temple's designated bank account. Investigators are trying to determine if the alleged siphoning of funds could have taken place without their knowledge, considering their regular presence throughout the counting process.
Aadhaar and PAN details of the accused and the SBI personnel under examination have been submitted to departments including the Income Tax Department, revenue authorities and development authorities to ascertain their financial status, property holdings and any disproportionate assets, reported HT. Details of individuals associated with the counting operations, including personnel deployed through the Varanasi-based Sainik Security Services, are also being collected. The agency came under fire after it was revealed that six of the eight arrested accused had been employed through the firm.
The 'Ram Rajya Kosh' angle
A separate line of inquiry is being explored after the discovery of a donation box labelled "Ram Rajya Kosh" at the Shyam Sadhnalaya Yoga Kendra, where Shukla had reportedly been living. According to The Telegraph, investigators believe the accused had founded an organisation called "Ram Rajya Prashasan" and had installed donation boxes, even bearing QR codes for digital payments, across several locations in Ayodhya. Although most of the boxes had been removed after the FIR was lodged, one remained at the yoga centre.
Staff there told TT that Shukla had installed the box in early June and kept it locked. A yoga instructor said that police had initially arrived at the centre on June 7 with Avinash and recovered some cash. They also claimed they had asked him to vacate the premises immediately after the alleged theft was reported. Additionally, a senior officer told TT that police had raided Shukla's ancestral home in Pratapgarh on Tuesday (June 30) and found that he had been constructing a new house next to his parent's home.
SIT extension and accountability questions
The Uttar Pradesh government has granted the Special Investigating Team (SIT) an additional 15 days to complete its inquiry after the panel sought more time to examine the different aspects of the case. The SIT, formed after the allegations of large-scale irregularities in temple donations surfaced, has been asked to submit its report on July 15. Its preliminary inquiry had earlier found prima facie evidence suggesting that a portion of the devotee's donations was systematically diverted during the collection and counting process.
'VHP not responsible,' says international president
In an interview with the HT, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) international president, Alok Kumar said the theft had "hurt the sentiments of Hindus across the globe" and supported a thorough investigation into everyone connected with the case.
Kumar stressed that criminal liability should be determined only after the probe concludes.
While speaking about the former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, Kumar said, "I, in my capacity as president of the VHP, issued a four-point statement: An FIR should be filed immediately, the case promptly investigated by senior officers, tried daily in a fast-track court, and the guilty punished within four to five months...You want me to dismiss him (Rai) today without the result of the investigation probe but no one has accused Rai yet. The allegations are on his driver."
When asked about Rai's role specifically, Kumar acknowledged that he "may be guilty of negligence."
Rai is the international vice-president of the VHP.
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