8 arrested in Ayodhya Ram Temple donation probe after FIR registered

The investigation was expected to widen and focus on the scale of the alleged siphoning and the role of those with direct access to donations

All eight accused were arrested on Friday in connection with alleged irregularities in donations for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, a day after the Uttar Pradesh Police lodged a case in the matter on Thursday.

An FIR was lodged on the complaint of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple.

The case was lodged on the complaint of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple. The first information report (FIR) filed in the case named Ramashankar Yadav, alias Tinnu, an aide to the trust’s general secretary, Champat Rai, and seven others.

A police officer said investigators are examining the alleged role of Yadav, who is among those arrested, in the handling and movement of donations. “The other arrested accused are Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra, and Subhash Srivastava, a retired bank employee who was in charge of counting donations.”

The FIR in the case was registered days after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted its preliminary probe recommending criminal action. Opposition Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan Pandey first made allegations of irregularities.

The Uttar Pradesh government constituted the three-member SIT on June 13 at the trust’s request. The SIT spent five days in Ayodhya between June 15 and June 20 for its preliminary inquiry.

People familiar with the probe said investigators examined collection boxes, counting, storage, accounting, access control, and surveillance. It flagged prima facie irregularities in the handling of offerings.

The investigation was expected to widen and focus on the scale of the alleged siphoning, the role of those with direct access to donations, and whether the trail ends with the eight named accused or extends further.