Ram temple donation row: Farmers’ body seeks probe headed by SC judge

AIKS national finance secretary said the issue extends beyond cash donations to include gold, silver, precious stones and other valuables, and claimed that the total amount involved could exceed the GDP of some smaller countries

LUCKNOW The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) on Monday expressed concern over the alleged embezzlement of donations at Ayodhya’s Ram temple, describing the matter as an “unprecedented, extraordinary and unpardonable crime”. The farmers’ organisation claimed that the alleged misappropriation hurt the faith of millions and tarnished India’s image globally .

AIKS alleged that the UP government failed to make public the findings of an inquiry into earlier land deal allegations despite assurances made in 2021. (Pic for representation)

At a press conference, AIKS national finance secretary P Krishna Prasad said the issue extends beyond cash donations to include gold, silver, precious stones and other valuables, and claimed that the total amount involved could exceed the GDP of some smaller countries.

He also alleged that Ayodhya witnessed UP’s biggest land scam, claiming that land transactions were manipulated through rapid price escalations, resulting in huge profits for intermediaries while original landowners received meagre compensation. National joint secretary Badal Saroj said that role of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai in connection with the scam must be probed.

National joint secretary Mukut Singh alleged that the scam involved the purchase and sale of government nazul land, encroachment upon land belonging to historic temples and forced displacement of thousands of families and small traders during Ayodhya’s redevelopment. The organisation claimed that a SIT, constituted days after the alleged donation theft came to light, was intended to shield the main accused rather than identify them.

AIKS alleged that the UP government failed to make public the findings of an inquiry into earlier land deal allegations despite assurances made in 2021. It also claimed that businessmen and industrialists from Gujarat were among those who were benefited from land transactions in Ayodhya, alleging that the city was deliberately developed as a centre for large-scale commercial gain.

The organisation called for a time-bound inquiry headed by a sitting or retired Supreme Court judge into both the alleged donation theft and land transactions.

AIKS also sought confiscation of any allegedly misappropriated assets, disclosure of all beneficiaries irrespective of their status, compensation and rehabilitation for displaced landowners and residents under the provisions of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act, and the dissolution of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in favour of a statutory institutional framework for temple management similar to those followed in many other states.