Top News

In a significant development regarding the alleged misappropriation of donations for the Ram Temple, Swami Govind Giri, the treasurer of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, has officially confirmed that General Secretary Champat Rai has resigned from his position. Although reports of Rai's resignation had circulated earlier, this marks the first official acknowledgment from the trust's leadership. Following this, the Ram Temple Trust issued a statement confirming the receipt of Champat Rai's resignation. Additionally, trustee Anil Mishra has also submitted his resignation. These resignations come at a time when an investigation is underway concerning the alleged theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, which has drawn significant attention due to accusations of financial irregularities in managing devotees' offerings. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is currently probing the matter.

Sources indicate that the investigation is examining Champat Rai's role in the administration of the donation counting process. While investigators have not directly accused Rai of overseeing counting or monitoring tasks, the SIT has reportedly raised questions about whether complaints regarding the suspected theft were ignored despite being brought to the attention of senior officials. It is also claimed that several individuals arrested in connection with this case were assigned to donation counting tasks based on recommendations from Champat Rai and Anil Mishra. Concerns have been raised regarding the hiring of certain staff without adequate background checks. It is crucial to note that these findings are part of the SIT investigation and have not yet been validated in court.

The SIT has reviewed CCTV footage recorded between April 27 and June 5, reportedly uncovering around 70 incidents where employees involved in counting donations were seen stealing cash over approximately 40 days. Investigators allege that some suspects were aware of the CCTV camera locations and 'blind spots' within the counting center. During the alleged thefts, cameras were sometimes turned off or deliberately obstructed. To date, eight individuals have been arrested, including Tinnu Yadav and Subhash Srivastava, who were employees of the Ram Temple Trust, while others were reportedly linked to the State Bank of India (SBI), which assists in counting donations. Sources suggest that the SIT has identified Ram Shankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu Yadav, as the main suspect in this alleged theft. Reports claim he had access to the keys of donation boxes and wielded considerable influence over administrative matters related to donation counting and staffing within the temple premises. Another suspect, Ramashankar Mishra, was allegedly involved in donation counting based on Tinnu Yadav's recommendation and has been seen stealing cash multiple times in the CCTV footage. The SIT has also questioned Anil Mishra's role in appointments and expressed concern over the increase in his assets since becoming a trustee. However, no official conclusions have been announced in this case yet.