Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 26 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Friday alleged that Rs 2000 crore was stolen from the Ram Mandir Trust and used to engineer political splits in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Shiv Sena (UBT)
Speaking on the FIR registered against eight people in the alleged Ayodhya Ram Mandir donations embezzlement case, Raut alleged that the main culprits are still working in the Trust.
"The main culprits are still working in the Trust. Those who consider themselves 'Hindutvawadi' steal crores of Rupees from the temple, and this money enters politics, where you use it to buy MPs and split political parties. You used the Rs 2000 crore stolen from Ram Mandir to split MPs of TMC, Shiv Sena (UBT)," Raut said at a press conference.
The remarks came after a First Information Report was registered in the alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The case has been filed under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), on the directions of the Uttar Pradesh Government.
Those who have been named in the FIR are: Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Tinnu Yadav, Manish Yadav and others.
This action followed allegations by former SP MLA from Ayodhya, Pawan Pandey, who claimed that between ₹7 crore and ₹7.5 crore in donations were misappropriated from the Ram Mandir. In response to these claims, the state government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 14 to probe the alleged scam, acting on a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Meanwhile, a fresh petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored investigation. The petition seeks the registration of an FIR and the formation of a CBI-led SIT to probe reported missing funds, financial irregularities, and other alleged illegalities concerning the affairs and administration of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. (ANI)
