Police arrest all eight accused
The Uttar Pradesh police arrested all eight people named in the FIR in connection with embezzling donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The arrests happened on Friday after the FIR was filed late Thursday (June 25) at the Ram Janmabhoomi Police Station. All eight accused were produced before the designated fast-track court in Ayodhya and have been sent to three days of judicial custody.
The FIR was filed on the complaint of a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, based on the preliminary findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Those arrested are Ram Shankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu Yadav; Lavkush Mishra; Anukalp Mishra; Avinash Shukla; Manish Yadav; Ramashankar Mishra; Subhash Chandra Srivastava; and Karunesh Pandey.
These people mainly handled and counted cash and valuables donated by devotees through the temple’s donation boxes. They are accused of criminal breach of trust, theft, cheating, and conspiracy. The SIT was established earlier this month following reports of irregularities. It submitted a preliminary report to the UP Government, highlighting problems in the handling of donations and proposing actions.
The three-member SIT, led by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant and other senior officials, was formed after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust requested an investigation into financial irregularities.
The team reviewed donation records, cash-counting methods, storage, and supervision, and questioned temple staff and officials. Their preliminary report, issued around June 24, highlighted serious problems and irregularities in the handling of donations.
