Ram Temple Kumbh donations hit a row
The Uttar Pradesh Police has alleged that during the Kumbh Mela in early 2025, a large portion of the donations received at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya were embezzled. According to police, some of the arrested in connection with the row had previously committed petty thefts. However, the size of offerings during the pilgrimage gave them a chance to work together on a larger misappropriation.
During the Kumbh Mela, many devotees visited the temple, filling donation boxes at with cash, gold, and other valuables. Police say the accused, some of whom were already involved in handling donations, took advantage of weak oversight and procedural gaps to pocket far more than on earlier occasions.
So far, eight temple employees have been arrested and are now in judicial custody. Police say brothers-in-law Lav Kush Mishra and Anukalp Mishra were the main beneficiaries and allegedly used the pilfered money to buy real estate. Others named by the police are Avinash Shukla, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu Yadav (a former driver for ex-trust general secretary Champat Rai, who reportedly had a key to the donation counting room), Ram Shankar Mishra, and Subhash Srivastava. Police recovered Rs 89 lakh after Avinash Shukla revealed it was hidden at a yoga centre.
In total, about Rs 79.85 lakh in cash and some foreign currency have been recovered from the accused till date.
The accused are said to have blocked or avoided CCTV cameras, hiding bundles of cash in washrooms during counting before secretly taking them out. They also worked together during the transfer of money from the collection boxes to the counting team. Some evidence suggests bank staff handling cash may also be involved. Reports suggest that being close to powerful people in or connected to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust enabled some of the accused to act with impunity.
While Vice President of Vishva Hindu Parishad and the General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, Champat Rai has stepped down for moral reasons, investigators are looking at former trust member Anil Mishra for his role in hiring temple staff. The Special Investigation Team is still looking into the case, and the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department are also following the money and assets.
Opposition parties are using the scandal to call for greater transparency, the full release of the SIT report, and changes to how the temple is run.
SIT gets 15-day extension
New Delhi/Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Government has extended by 15 days the tenure of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The three-member SIT, constituted on June 13, submitted a preliminary report on June 23. Following an FIR on June 25, eight people were arrested. Investigators suspect misappropriation of donations worth up to Rs 7 crore from temple hundis and have recovered about Rs 79.85 lakh in cash so far.
The SIT will now examine financial records, CCTV footage and donation-counting processes, with its final report due by July 15.
