The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has strongly condemned the alleged embezzlement of Ayodhya Ram temple donations, calling it 'unfortunate' and deeply hurtful to Hindu society. In its first official statement on Friday, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said the incident has 'deeply hurt the sentiments and faith of the entire society and Ram devotees'. Hosabale emphasized that 'We are all extremely pained and angered by this event' and called for 'severe punishment' for anyone found guilty after the investigation. The RSS leader noted that the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a special investigation team (SIT) and initiated legal proceedings based on its recommendations at the earnest request of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Hosabale called upon 'the entire Hindu society to display necessary patience and restraint during this difficult moment' and appealed to 'thwart the conspiracies of anti-Hindu and anti-national forces seeking to malign the Hindu dharma and society by exploiting this unfortunate incident'.
The alleged Ram Temple donation scam first came to light not through any internal audit or banking mechanism but because of the alertness of a security guard posted at the temple premises. During one of the counting sessions, a member of the counting staff allegedly tried to conceal cash inside a toilet. The suspicious movement was noticed by the guard, triggering a chain of events that eventually exposed the alleged embezzlement. The revelation has raised uncomfortable questions for both the temple administration and the bank. If SBI had already suspected irregularities and recommended the removal of the counting staff months ago, why were the employees allowed to continue handling crores of rupees in devotees' offerings?
State Bank of India reportedly sought to replace cash-counting staff at the Ayodhya Ram temple three months ago due to suspicions of fund diversion, but the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust allegedly intervened. According to sources reported by The Economic Times and NDTV, the bank had a feeling about three months ago that funds were being siphoned off from the donation boxes at the temple and recommended removing the staff from the cash-counting duty. The outsourcing agency was even preparing to initiate the removal process, but trust officials allegedly intervened to defend the staff and saved them from being dismissed. Sources claimed the bank was unable to override the influence of Champat Rai and Anil Mishra, following which the staff continued in their roles and the alleged theft remained undetected. The investigation has now intensified scrutiny on whether the bank had prior knowledge of the alleged theft and failed to act in time.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple will conduct a re-audit of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust's accounts for the past five years after the preliminary probe indicated large-scale irregularities. The re-audit will cover construction-related expenditure as well as jewellery and other gold and silver items received as donations. The SIT has so far questioned Trust general secretary Champat Rai, trustee Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao, who has been associated with the temple's construction and management. Cash recoveries in the case include ₹20.39 lakh from Shukla, ₹18.07 lakh from Karunesh Pandey, ₹16.82 lakh from Anukalp Mishra, ₹14.25 lakh from Lavkush Mishra, ₹7.32 lakh from Ramashankar Mishra and ₹1 lakh from Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu. Police have also recovered around 11 grams of gold, about 375 grams of silver and USD 1,121 during the investigation. Investigators also seized a donation box labelled 'Ramrajya Kosh', bearing a Paytm QR code, from a yoga centre in Ayodhya where Shukla had allegedly been staying for nearly a decade. The alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple came to light on June 7, with an FIR registered on June 25 based on the SIT's preliminary report.
Following the RSS's condemnation, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh called the RSS's clean chit to the Trust 'disgraceful and shameful', stating that 'the clean chit given by the RSS is disgraceful and shameful. The fact is 'chanda chori' on a large scale by people very much part of its network has taken place'. Congress Rajya Sabha member Pawan Khera criticized the 'video's real purpose is to lend legitimacy to the UP government's SIT' and accused the RSS of 'piety is a performance; plunder is the profession'. However, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray announced a statewide 'Ram Raksha' agitation from July 5 over the alleged donation embezzlement. The Trust is expected to take a decision on the resignations of Rai and Mishra at its meeting scheduled for July 6. Senior BJP leader Vinay Katiyar emphasized that 'there are several temples in the country. This is Lord Ram's temple. If any wrongdoing has taken place in Ram's temple, it cannot be accepted under any circumstances'. The investigation has intensified with police teams now tracing the money trail and analyzing the bank accounts of the accused to determine whether the alleged theft was an isolated act by a few employees or part of a larger and organized operation.
