At least eight people have been arrested for allegedly embezzling donations from the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, embroiling the major Indian temple in another controversy.
The grand temple, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, was consecrated two years ago in what was marketed as a “once-in-a-lifetime” ceremony thronged by the who’s who of Indian politics and culture.
The temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Ram was erected on the site of a medieval mosque, the Babri Masjid, which was torn down by a Hindu mob in 1992. Its construction fulfilled a longstanding demand of India’s Hindu nationalist ecosystem, which includes the ruling BJP party of Narendra Modi.
Allegations had been swirling for months that large sums of money donated by devotees were being embezzled by some people involved in the management of the temple, forcing the state government, led by the BJP, to order an investigation.
The temple draws 70,000 to 80,000 devotees daily.
After the government received the investigation report this week, the trust tasked with managing the temple filed a formal police complaint, leading to the arrest of eight people for theft, misappropriation of cash, and embezzlement of funds and valuables.
Most of them were involved in collecting, counting and transporting donated money, police said.
“It is clear from the preliminary report of the SIT and available oral, documentary and electronic evidence that certain employees deployed for counting of donations have committed a crime by stealing and misappropriating frequently,” police said in an arrest report.
While the report is yet to be made public, local media outlets, citing people aware of the contents, say it flags lapses, inadequate supervision, and negligence in counting and managing cash and valuables given to the temple. It reportedly also recommended structural changes to the donation management system to strengthen fiscal accountability.
The government said the investigation was still underway and that a final report would be released in 15 days.
मैंने आज SIT को जमीन घोटाले से संबंधित दस्तावेज़ दिए, जिसमें चंपत राय, अनिल कुमार मिश्रा, भाजपा के पूर्व मेयर ऋषिकेश उपाध्याय और उसके भतीजे दीप नारायण का फंसना तय था। लेकिन सैकड़ों करोड़ के घोटाले से ध्यान भटकाने के लिए ट्रस्ट ने कुछ कर्मचारियों के खिलाफ FIR दर्ज कराने का नाटक… pic.twitter.com/KsiXo4Uqh9
The main opposition Congress party previously alleged that cash and jewellery offered by devotees had been systematically siphoned off by temple staffers under the trust’s watch.
The party also claimed that almost Rs 50bn ($400m) had been “misused” in the construction of the temple complex.
“The temple has been constructed to loot money. Nobody gave any account of the money collected after Advani’s rath yatra,” the party’s president Mallikarjun M Kharge said, referring to veteran BJP leader and former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani’s mobilisation campaign in the late 1980s and early 1990s that culminated in the demolition of the Babri Masjid. “Now, after the construction of the temple, Rs 5,000 crore has been misused.”
“There are reports suggesting that the priest has swindled money in the name of Lord Rama,” he added, according to The Hindu.
Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh, meanwhile, alleged that the temple trust had purchased land for its office and a museum from the families of local BJP leaders at inflated prices.
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