An FIR was registered against seven named persons and other unidentified individuals in connection with the Ram Temple donation row at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station in Ayodhya on Thursday, on a written complaint filed by Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The case has been registered under Sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to reports, the named accused include Ramashankar Yadav, alias Tinnu Yadav, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Manish Yadav, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash and Karunesh, besides other unidentified persons. The complaint alleges that the accused embezzled donations offered at the Ram Temple and misappropriated funds through criminal conspiracy.
Police registered the case and began further investigation based on facts disclosed in the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) preliminary report. The action came two days after the SIT, which is probing the donation theft allegations, submitted its preliminary inquiry report to the Uttar Pradesh government. The report was submitted by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad, who is an ex officio member of the trust. The FIR was registered in line with the findings and recommendations of the SIT’s preliminary report.
The controversy over alleged misappropriation of devotee donations broke out earlier this month after Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav claimed on social media that crores of rupees in donations were unaccounted for, and called on courts to take suo motu cognisance of the matter. The Uttar Pradesh government subsequently constituted the SIT on June 13, at the request of the temple trust, to investigate the allegations.
During its inquiry, the SIT questioned several individuals connected to the trust’s operations, including Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust secretary Champat Rai.
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