Ayodhya Ram Temple Row: SIT Investigation Report Expected Within 15 Days; What Has Probe Revealed So Far

As the controversy regarding the Ram Temple theft continues to escalate, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the investigation report will be released within 15 days. The SIT team interrogated seven census workers on Saturday. The SIT is expected to return to Lucknow on Saturday.

What's The Backstory

On Friday, Dinanath Verma, a former engineer for the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, accused trustee D Anil Kumar Mishra of taking a 40 per cent commission. He alleged that despite being aware of the matter, General Secretary Champat Rai remained ignorant, allowing rampant looting to continue.

The SIT consisting of Lucknow Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, IG Lucknow Range Kiran S., and Special Secretary Finance Department Neelratan Kumar interrogated Mishra. Sources said that trustee Dr. Anil Mishra had reached there at 11 am. He was questioned before also.

Along with verifying the statements of Ramshankar Yadav Tinnu, information was taken from him for about three hours on other points related to the counting of cash. He was asked about old records. Tinnu Yadav, Manish Yadav, KD Tiwari, and Subhash Srivastava, along with other suspicious employees, were also called for questioning.

CM Yogi said that based on the information about Ayodhya, an SIT investigation team has been constituted. Until the SIT report is released, there should be no statements that hurt the sentiments of Ram devotees. If anyone has evidence, they must submit it to the investigating team.

Trust's general secretary, Champat Rai, was also interrogated in connection to the case. Retired bank employee Subhash Srivastava and Trust employee Krishnadev Tiwari, who oversees the temple's jewelry; along with bank and collection agency employees and some other employees associated with the Trust, also faced interrogation.

Timeline Of Events

June 13: The UP government constituted a three-member SIT to investigate the matter on the request of the Ram Temple Trust.

June 11: As the controversy deepened, Mahant Kamalnayandas, successor to Trust President Mahant Nritya Gopaldas, issued a statement, saying, "If the investigators themselves are dishonest, what investigation will take place? God will punish."

June 11: In the trustees' meeting, it was decided to get the matter investigated by retired judges.

June 10: A video and interview of Mahipal Singh, former accounting officer of the Ram Temple Trust, was broadcast, in which he claimed to have previously detected the theft of bundles of currency notes worth lakhs of rupees while serving in 2021-2022.

He also named several people, claiming to have had the CCTV footage deleted. The SP chief shared the video and questioned the government's silence.

June 9: Nripendra Mishra conducted a secret meeting at the Ram Janmabhoomi complex and obtained detailed information from the trustees. Speaking to reporters before leaving for Delhi, he dismissed the matter as an internal matter of the trust.

June 8: The Prime Minister's Office took cognizance of the matter, and Ram Temple Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Mishra reached Ayodhya late in the evening.

June 8: In view of the seriousness of the matter, BJP leader Dr. Rajneesh Singh wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding an investigation by the central agency.

June 7: Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, dismissed the allegations and issued a clarification, saying an internal audit was underway.

June 7: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav posted on X, and former minister Tejnarayan Pandey Pawan, in a media interaction, alleged theft of Rs 5 crore to Rs 7.5 crore from offerings.