The Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations of irregularities related to offerings made at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took the decision after a formal request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Trust, seeking a detailed inquiry into the matter. The SIT has been tasked with conducting a swift and thorough investigation and submitting both preliminary and final reports at the earliest.
"The trust sought a thorough inquiry, calling it necessary to check misinformation and bring out the truth, alleging that attempts were being made to tarnish the image of the Ram temple and hurt the faith of millions of devotees," the government said in a statement.
Three top officials to probe case
The committee comprises senior officials from the state administration:
- Vijay Vishwas Pant, IAS, Divisional Commissioner, Lucknow
- Kiran S, IPS, Inspector General (Range)
- Neel Ratan, Special Secretary, Finance Department
Akhilesh Yadav’s asks court to take suo motu cognisance
Earlier, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav expressed concern over reports claiming that crores of rupees donated for the Ram Temple were allegedly missing. He urged the court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.
Describing the issue as highly sensitive for devotees of Lord Ram across the world, the former CM questioned why there has been no response from the government regarding the reported discrepancy.
“This is an extremely sensitive piece of news for devotees of Lord Ram across the entire world: crores of rupees in offerings to the ‘Ram Mandir’ have been found missing. This is an utterly shameful situation for the temple trust. No one is coming forward to offer any explanation. There is a demand for the court to take suo motu cognizance, as this is directly linked to the deep faith in Lord Ram held by the entire Sanatan society at a global level. The government's silence is suspicious,” Yadav's post read in Hindi.
Trust says audits find no evidence
The trust has said that internal audits are currently being carried out in response to recent allegations. General secretary Champat Rai stated that, so far, no evidence has been found to support the claims made against the organisation.
He further explained that representatives of both the trust and the State Bank of India are regularly involved in periodic audits. According to him, nothing significant or concerning has been discovered during the ongoing checks.
Trust member Mahant Dinendra Das also voiced confidence in the functioning of the organisation. He added that any inquiry ordered by the government would be fully accepted by the trust.
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