New Delhi:
The police have found new evidence in the theft of donations from the Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya. The details are linked to one of the accused, Avinash Shukla, whose transactions exceeded Rs 15 lakh.
He sent the money to many people and also handed over cash to some. The police are investigating whether these funds were linked to the stolen donation money.
The investigation found Shukla gifted approximately Rs 2 lakh in cash and an expensive mobile phone to a woman friend. This, too, is under investigation. His brother, Abhishek, had frequently seen him carrying cash to a yoga centre after his shift, the police said.
He did not give a clear answer when his brother asked him about the source of the funds. Later, when Abhishek asked another individual, Anukalp, about the source of the cash, he said the devotees gave money out of happiness and also offered payments in exchange for assistance during the darshan. He also warned Abhishek not to bring up the subject again.
The police are verifying the veracity of these claims.
On July 3, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple arrived at the temple premises to carry out further investigation in the case.
The state government on July 1 granted a 15-day extension to the SIT to complete its investigation. The extension has been given to enable the SIT to widen the scope of its probe and conduct a comprehensive inquiry into all aspects of the case.
An FIR was registered on June 25 after the SIT submitted the preliminary report on June 23, and eight accused were arrested.
Subsequently, Champat Rai and former trustee Anil Mishra resigned, taking moral responsibility for alleged misappropriation of donations hours after the police arrested all eight people named in the FIR.
The alleged embezzlement of donations for the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir has triggered a massive political storm in Uttar Pradesh, with the Opposition launching a scathing attack on the ruling BJP, while the government maintains that a transparent probe is underway.
BJP MP Dinesh Sharma said the state government has taken swift action. “The chief minister has ordered an SIT investigation. The SIT investigation is underway, and a transparent investigation is being conducted. People should wait and have faith,” Sharma told ANI.
State Cabinet Minister Sanjay Nishad said that unlike previous regimes, the current government is not hushing up corruption.
