E-Paper
Uttar Pradesh govt sanctions 1,155 permanent Special Security Force posts for Ram temple
State govt regularises temporary deployment at Ayodhya shrine; move comes as SIT probes alleged cash pilferage, supervisory failures and systemic security deficiencies
In a key administrative decision aimed at strengthening security at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Uttar Pradesh government approved the creation of 1,155 permanent posts under the Special Security Force (SSF) 6th Battalion, replacing the temporary positions created for safeguarding the temple complex.
A Government Order (GO) issued by the home department on July 9, 2026 states that the decision followed a proposal from Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna to convert the temporary posts into permanent ones for the security of the Ram temple.
The order states that the sanctioned strength covers 18 categories of posts, ranging from senior officers to constabulary and technical staff. The largest share comprises 761 constables, followed by 174 head constables, 72 constable drivers, 66 sub-inspectors/platoon commanders, 33 inspectors, 19 computer operators, besides officers, including one commandant, one deputy commandant, five assistant commandants, one radio inspector, one radio workshop officer, one confidential assistant, one librarian, one physiotherapist, two pharmacists and other ministerial and technical personnel.
According to the GO, the personnel currently working against the temporary posts will continue until further orders, while recruitment and appointments to the newly sanctioned permanent posts will be made separately under existing government rules. The expenditure will be met from the police department’s approved budget.
The decision comes against the backdrop of the Ram temple donation theft case, which triggered an extensive review of security, surveillance and administrative mechanisms at the Ram temple.
As the alleged theft came to light, a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) reportedly found repeated instances of cash pilferage inside the temple’s donation counting centre. Based on the preliminary findings, an FIR was registered by Ayodhya police, leading to the arrest of eight accused, including outsourced cash-counting personnel.
The SIT’s confidential preliminary report is understood to have documented around 70 suspected incidents of cash theft captured in CCTV footage over a little more than a month. It also flagged serious violations of standard operating procedures, inadequate supervision, poor enforcement of frisking and surveillance protocols, and questioned the accountability of officials responsible for overseeing the cash counting process.
The criminal investigation has since widened beyond the alleged theft itself. Police have recovered cash, gold, vehicles and investment documents allegedly linked to the accused, while investigators are examining the money trail, frozen bank accounts and possible systemic failures in the management of temple donations.
The SIT is expected to submit its final report to the Uttar Pradesh government shortly, recommending administrative and security reforms.
Officials said the regularisation of the 1,155 SSF posts is intended to institutionalise the security framework at the Ram temple and ensure permanent deployment of trained personnel at the high-security religious complex, amid heightened focus on accountability following the donation theft scandal.
Last week, HT had reported that the Uttar Pradesh Police was considering a comprehensive overhaul of the deployment policy for police personnel posted at the Ram temple in Ayodhya following the alleged donation theft case.
Highly placed police sources had said the proposed reforms are aimed at ensuring that officers deployed in critical security and surveillance roles do not continue at the temple for extended periods, a practice investigators believe can weaken institutional safeguards and create operational vulnerabilities.
The review followed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe which brought under scrutiny the unusually long tenure of a police wireless and telecom officer who had remained posted in Ayodhya for nearly 17 years despite multiple transfer orders issued over the years.
