As the probe into the Ram temple donation case gathered pace, the State Bank of India’s Naya Ghat branch in Ayodhya became the focal point on Monday. A police team from the Ram Janmabhoomi police station spent about four hours at the branch to collect details of accounts of the Trust and seven of the eight accused arrested in the case. The Trust also has accounts at the Naya Ghat branches of the Bank of Baroda and the Punjab National Bank.
HT visited the SBI branch on Monday, finding it pulsating with the tension and energy of the probe as police officials sought details from chief manager Anoop Tripathi inside his chamber.
During the course of HT’s visit, bank sources claimed they were under immense pressure from some Trust officials in the past to include certain people in the cash counting team. The Trust had assigned the responsibility of counting donation money to the State Bank of India, which appointed nine of its employees for the task while additional manpower was provided by a Varanasi-based agency. The Trust also deployed some of its own personnel.
Tripathi, who spent the entire first-half of the day scanning bank transactions of all eight accused on the bank’s Core Banking System (CBS) and sharing details with the police, said to HT: “The Ayodhya police visited the bank today to seek bank details of the accused in the donation-money scam. The bank has provided details of their accounts.”
Based on PAN and Aadhaar card details, the Ayodhya police reportedly found the bank accounts of seven accused at the State Bank of India, Naya Ghat branch, Ayodhya.
{{/usCountry}}Based on PAN and Aadhaar card details, the Ayodhya police reportedly found the bank accounts of seven accused at the State Bank of India, Naya Ghat branch, Ayodhya.
{{/usCountry}}Commenting on the pressure exerted by some Trust officials to include certain people in the cash-counting team, a senior bank official, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “They were powerful, we could not refuse.” “They are now under the scanner for pressuring SBI to include certain people for the cash-counting work,” he said. The official claimed the Trust also ignored the SBI’s warning around three months ago when the bank complained about suspected embezzlement of donation-money. SBI has also apprised the Ayodhya police of this detail, the official added. “Trust officials allegedly intervened and shielded the staff. Despite the bank’s warning, the Trust took no action and the same employees continued to handle the counting work,” the bank official quoted above said.
Sources said the bank wanted to change the cash-counting staff three months ago, but some Trust officials did not allow it.
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, they added.
The bank had hired these staff on nominal monthly wages of ₹12,000 to ₹15,000, the sources said. The counting staff was never asked to wear dress without pockets and no government staff was ever included to supervise counting work, sources said.
“It is also being probed at what level in the Trust the bank’s recommendation was suppressed three months ago, which officials were involved, and who authorised the planting of Trust employees in the agency’s outsourced team,” said a Trust member who did not wish to be named.
Meanwhile, the police team also visited Canara Bank, which is opposite SBI. “The team visited the bank, but they did not find bank accounts they were looking for,” said Akansha Tewari, branch manager, Canara bank, Ayodhya.
Along with bank details of the accused, the Ayodhya police are also looking into bank details of their family members.
Earlier, in a statement on Sunday, SBI said it is fully cooperating with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged irregularities in handling donations collected through the donation boxes at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
In the statement, SBI said it has been providing banking services to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust since the Pran Pratishtha ceremony. The bank said it has extended full cooperation to the SIT during the inquiry and remains committed to assisting the ongoing investigation.