The second Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya is set to revisit the criminal investigation conducted by the local police, with senior officers indicating that the eight arrests made so far will not be treated as the final word on the case.
Constituted on July 26 following the Supreme Court’s direction for an IPS-led investigation, the second SIT is headed by inspector general of police (Lucknow range) Kiran S and includes deputy inspector general (Ayodhya range) Somen Barma, Ayodhya senior superintendent of police Gaurav Grover and additional superintendent of police (Barabanki) Ritesh Kumar Singh.
Also read: SIT flags mismatch between Ram Temple donation receipts, bank deposits
Second SIT to re-examine earlier probe and arrests
Senior police officers privy to the investigation said the team would independently examine the evidence already collected by the local police and assess whether it establishes the complete sequence of the alleged theft, from the counting of donations to the suspected removal and subsequent movement of cash or valuables.
“The material collected during the earlier investigation will be examined afresh. The arrests made so far will also be assessed individually on the basis of the evidence available against each accused. The second SIT will not proceed on the assumption that the earlier investigation has established the complete chain of events,” a senior police officer said.
{{/usCountry}}“The material collected during the earlier investigation will be examined afresh. The arrests made so far will also be assessed individually on the basis of the evidence available against each accused. The second SIT will not proceed on the assumption that the earlier investigation has established the complete chain of events,” a senior police officer said.
{{/usCountry}}The fresh scrutiny assumes significance as the first SIT’s preliminary findings had resulted in registration of an FIR and the subsequent arrests.
Local police had arrested eight accused after June FIR
The local police began the criminal investigation after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust lodged an FIR at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station on June 25 against eight named accused and other unidentified people under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), relating to offences such as criminal breach of trust, cheating, theft and criminal conspiracy, along with Section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Eight men– Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav ‘Tinnu’, Manish Yadav, Subhash Srivastava, Avinash Shukla, Ramashankar Mishra, and Karunesh Pandey – were arrested on June 26
The second SIT is expected to correlate CCTV footage with donation-counting registers, cash-handling records and statements of personnel involved in the counting and handling of offerings.
Also read: Ex-Ram Temple official Champat Rai gets clean chit in donation theft case weeks after resignation
Investigators are likely to reconstruct the movement of cash during the period under scrutiny and identify the precise stage at which discrepancies allegedly occurred. The exercise could also establish whether the suspected thefts were isolated incidents or part of a repeated pattern.
A senior officer said the team would not limit its scrutiny to the allegations already made against the arrested persons.
“The earlier investigation and arrests are an important part of the case record, but the second SIT will independently examine the evidence. If the scrutiny throws up fresh leads or indicates the involvement of other persons, those aspects will also be investigated,” the officer said.
Was the alleged theft wider than eight arrests?
One of the key questions likely to be examined by the SIT is whether the eight persons arrested by the local police represent the entire chain involved in the alleged theft.
Investigators are expected to examine who had access to the donation-counting area, who handled the cash, who could have known about alleged discrepancies and whether anyone facilitated the removal, concealment or subsequent movement of the suspected stolen amount.
“It would be premature to say that the case is confined to the persons already arrested. The SIT will examine the evidence and individual roles. Any further action will depend on what emerges during the investigation,” another senior officer said.
Money trail under scanner
The suspected money trail is also likely to be a critical component of the fresh investigation. Investigators are expected to examine recoveries, financial transactions and other evidence to determine what happened to the allegedly stolen money after it was removed from the donation-counting system.
Officials said tracing the suspected proceeds could help establish whether the alleged offence was confined to those accused of removing the money or whether others subsequently received, concealed or benefited from it.
Also read: Ram Temple Trust: After SIT report, focus shifts to Sept 2 meeting; key leadership decisions likely
“The objective is to reach an evidence-based conclusion. If the existing evidence establishes the allegations, it will be assessed accordingly. If there are gaps, those will be investigated. If fresh evidence points to additional persons or a different sequence of events, that too will be pursued,” the senior officer said.
The first SIT was constituted on June 13 on the directions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. It was headed by Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant with inspector general of police (Lucknow range) Kiran S and special secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan Kumar as members.