As the widespread row has erupted over the issue, Ram Temple Construction Committee chairperson Nripendra Mishra asserted on Monday that there will not be any laxity in the probe by the special investigation team into the allegation of theft of donation money.
Mishra said there are two aspects to the investigation, "criminal and future improvement.""When both of these aspects are addressed, only then will we be able to win the trust of the devotees," he told reporters. Mishra said he had spoken to the district administration yesterday for their cooperation.
"This is a team effort, and in a way a crossroad for the temple, which we will cross and see the future," he said.The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday constituted a three-member special investigation team (SIT) to probe allegations of theft of donation money and financial management of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust following a request from the trust.
According to the state government, the trust sought an impartial inquiry to establish facts and counter what it described as misinformation and attempts to tarnish the image of the Ram temple.The SIT comprises Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan.
The matter surfaced on June 7, when Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav cited reports to claim that crores of rupees from donations offered at the Ram Temple were missing and urged the court to take cognisance of the matter. Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai responded by saying that internal audits are underway. Nothing that substantiates the allegation has emerged as yet, he said.
The controversy surrounding the alleged theft of Ram Mandir donations involves claims that roughly ₹7 crore was embezzled from temple offerings. In response, the Uttar Pradesh government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the temple's finances following a request by the temple trust.
Pertinently, Nripendra Misra is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1967 batch from the Uttar Pradesh cadre, who served as the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi from 2014 to 2019. Nripendra Misra was elected as the chairman of the temple construction committee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in February 2020. The move was seen as part of government strategy to keep a close engagement with the ambitious Ram Mandir project.
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