Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and member trustee Anil Mishra have resigned, taking moral responsibility in connection with the alleged Ram Temple donation theft case, sources said on Friday. The developments came after a First Information Report was registered in the alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The case has been filed under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), on the directions of the Uttar Pradesh Government.
Those who have been named in the FIR are: Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Tinnu Yadav, Manish Yadav and others. This action followed allegations by former SP MLA from Ayodhya, Pawan Pandey, who claimed that between ₹7 crore and ₹7.5 crore in donations were misappropriated from the Ram Mandir. In response to these claims, the state government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 14 to probe the alleged scam, acting on a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Earlier in the dayt, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath lashed out at the opposition for its stand on the alleged embezzlement case at the Ram Mandir. Calling out the opposition, the CM said that those who had opposed the temple construction were now raising the issue for political gain.
The CM said that the state government would adopt a "zero-tolerance" policy against anyone attempting to hurt public faith, as he addressed a public meeting in Deoria after the first FIR was registered on the basis of the Special Investigation Team's (SIT) preliminary report. The Chief Minister was addressing a programme for the inauguration and foundation stone laying of 106 development projects worth over Rs 456 crore. Speaking on those questioning matters related to Lord Ram and Ayodhya, Adityanath alleged that those raising objections had earlier denied the existence of Lord Ram and the significance of Ayodhya. "One side used to say that lord Ram doesn't even exist, meaning these people wanted to deny Ayodhya itself. They kept fighting the case in court continuously, kept fielding armies of lawyers against the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, and the other side is the one that would wield sticks and fire bullets at those chanting 'Jai Shri Ram.' Those who would fire bullets at the mere mention of Lord Ram's name are now saying that there has been tampering with faith... They would incite riots on Ram Navami, ban Shri Krishna Janmashtami celebrations, prevent the Kanwar Yatra from taking place, incite riots during Durga Puja... Remember, the Congress didn't just loot the country; they tore it apart. The records of dishonesty and corruption they established, and those very people are now casting aspersions on Ayodhya? This is unacceptable," Yogi Adityanath said.
"The government's intention is clear..., everything will come before everyone. But I will appeal once again: do not test Ram devotees, stop tampering with their faith. If there are no facts or evidence, then stop the accusations and counter-accusations, and if there is evidence, then present it before the SIT. The government is proceeding with the action as per the SIT's recommendations, and while the team of senior officials is working, stop making political statements about it," he added. Reiterating the government's stand on the probe, CM Adityanath said the truth would emerge through the investigation and appealed to those making allegations to cooperate with the SIT. "The government had stated from day one that the absolute truth would be brought to light. I reiterate: do not put the devotees of Ram to the test, do not trifle with their faith; if you have proof, present the evidence to the SIT," he said. Following the allegations, on June 14, the state government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged scam involving offerings made at the Ram Mandir, following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Trust.