Ram Mandir SIT Probe: All you need to know about the donation and who said what | Today’s news
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was deliberately delaying the SIT probe into the alleged misappropriation of funds in the Ram temple in Ayodhya to prevent the truth from coming out.
The former UP chief told reporters during a day-long visit to Kannauj that the investigation was being deliberately prolonged. “The SIT probe is being delayed so that the truth does not come out,” he said.
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In a post on X, Yadav also took a swipe at the ongoing investigation and claimed that the authorities were buying time to destroy evidence. “The SIT should ensure that even the investigation report is not stolen. Then again they say wait another 15 days. The deadline is being extended because the evidence is being tampered with,” he said in the post.
Yadav’s remarks came days after a three-member SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government began probing allegations of irregularities and misappropriation in offerings and donations received at the Ram temple. The SIT is examining records and interrogating temple functionaries and members of the temple trust as part of the investigation.
The SIT has completed its preliminary investigation and is likely to submit a report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, according to media reports.
A three-member team led by IAS officer Vijay Vishwas Pant has completed a preliminary investigation and is likely to submit its first report to the state government soon, according to a report in the Indian Express.
Based on the SIT’s findings, the procedure for collecting and depositing donations, as well as the roles and responsibilities of individuals in the temple trust, are likely to be re-examined, the Indian Express said citing a source.
what line is that?
The Ram Mandir donation dispute is an ongoing controversy involving allegations of massive financial irregularities, theft and misappropriation of cash and valuables offered by devotees at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had earlier denied allegations of misappropriation of endowment funds and maintained that all money and valuables offered by devotees are handled through set procedures involving counting, verification and safe deposit mechanisms.
On Friday, the Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath said “truth will prevail” after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) completed its probe into the embezzlement allegations. Adityanath also appealed to political parties to refrain from “baseless comments” until the investigation is over.
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“Government has set up an SIT to conduct an inquiry on the request of the trust. The SIT is tasked with discriminating between truth and lies. Until the SIT report is complete, no statement should be made that may hurt the sentiments of Ram devotees. Anyone with documentary evidence is urged to submit it to the SIT,” Adityanath said in Ayodhya.
SIT asks temple functionaries not to leave Ayodhya
The SIT probing the alleged misappropriation of funds at the Ram temple has instructed its trust and temple functionaries not to leave Ayodhya, according to temple sources quoted by news agencies as saying that investigators found irregularities in documentation of offerings such as gold, silver and precious stones.
The directive from the three-member SIT was issued before they left for Lucknow on Sunday.
One of the key findings of the SIT relates to records of gold and silver jewelery and other precious stones, including diamonds, offered to Lord Ram by devotees, the news agency said. Investigators found irregularities in the documentation and billing of such offers, the report said, citing unnamed sources.
Major irregularities during the Maha Kumbh Mela
During questioning, several officials of the temple trust were unable to give a satisfactory explanation regarding the inventory, storage and accounting of gold, silver ornaments and other valuables received as offerings, sources claimed.
They alleged that major irregularities may have occurred during the Maha Kumbh Mela period of January-February 2025, when the temple witnessed an unprecedented influx of devotees.
They said nearly 10,000 devotees visited the temple daily over a two-month period and the donation boxes were reportedly filled with currency notes within hours, making monitoring and accounting of donations a major focus of the SIT’s investigation.
According to temple sources, the daily reports of the investigation, including those relating to the questioning of the trust officials and others connected with the investigation, have been stored in digital form and the report will be finalized before it is submitted to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath.
At the same time, the SIT was sending a report of its findings to the chief minister’s office on a daily basis, they said.
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The temple trust allegedly bought the land several times more than the market prices. Various political parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Aam Aadmi Party, have raised the issue loudly.
The appointment of an independent CEO was proposed
Ram Mandir Building Committee chairman Nripendra Mishra has suggested the appointment of an independent CEO and proposed the “Tirumala model” to manage the temple’s affairs amid scrutiny over allegations of unaccounted donations.
Misra pointed to the management system of the Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple, which is overseen by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and headed by the Honorary Commissioner as the Chief Administrative Officer. This has revived interest in how one of the world’s richest sanctuaries is run.
The SIT probe is being delayed to prevent the truth from coming out, said Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.
On June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted an SIT at the request of the temple trust following allegations of misappropriation of donations received at the Ayodhya Ram temple.
The SIT comprises Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S and Special Secretary Finance Neel Ratan.
