LUCKNOW: The alleged misappropriation of nearly Rs 7 crore from donation funds at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has snowballed into a major controversy, with police recovering between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 12 lakh from the residence of a temple employee in the Rudauli area of Ayodhya on Friday.
Meanwhile, Ram Temple Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Mishra, who arrived in Ayodhya for the second time in five days, distanced himself from the issue, saying that he was responsible only for overseeing the construction work.
According to sources, the raid to recover the money was conducted by Ayodhya Police at the residence of Lavkush Mishra in Meenapur Thakuran Phagauli village, in the presence of Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai. Local sources claimed that Mishra had worked as a car mechanic before securing a job in the temple administration, after which his financial condition reportedly improved sharply within a short period.
The sources also claimed that Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, on Saturday, urged UP CM Yogi Adityanath to order an SIT (Special Investigation Team) probe into the theft allegations.
Moreover, sources claim that the trust has detained two employees who were responsible for counting temple donations, and their interrogation on suspicion is ongoing.
Both employees were entrusted with the responsibility of counting the offerings received at the temple and earned a monthly salary of Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000.
The sources said that one of the two had recently purchased land worth Rs 1.5 crore, while the other had bought a plot worth Rs 40 lakh.
Meanwhile, the saints and seers of Ayodhya have demanded a thorough probe into the allegation flying thick and fast in connection with the high-stakes controversy.
Notably, Pawan Pandey, who was a minister in the SP government, claimed on June 7 that Rs 5 crore to Rs 7.5 crore were swindled from the Ram temple.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had also questioned the state government's silence on the matter, demanding that the court take the suo motu notice of the issue and order an inquiry by a competent authority.
However, temple trust general secretary Champat Rai had come out with a video clip clarifying that no such thing had come to light yet, as the audit of the temple funds was on.
The controversy grew when BJP leader Dr Rajneesh Singh wrote a letter to the Prime Minister on June 9, demanding a CBI inquiry. The next day, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) sought a comprehensive report on the matter from the temple trust.
In the meantime, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking a CBI inquiry into the alleged embezzlement of offerings, was filed in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday.
Local advocate Mohit Ashok filed this petition, which is likely to be listed next week. The petition also demands an audit of the offerings by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
Notably, a former accountant, Mahipal Singh, who claims to be the temple's former accounts-in-charge, alleged that theft of offerings was a regular feature.
Speaking to reporters, Mahipal claimed that he was removed from his post a day after he reported an alleged theft to Champat Rai and a trust member identified as Gopal. He also alleged that CCTV footage from the temple dating back eight months had been deleted.
Mahipal further said that he was brought from Kota by the RSS because of his auditing experience and had supervised around 50 depositors during the Ram Temple's Samarpan Nidhi campaign.