SIT hands over report to Additional Chief Secretary (Img-X)
Lucknow: The three-member Special Investigation Team formed to probe the alleged embezzlement of offerings at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has submitted its report to Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Sanjay Prasad.
However, the state government has clarified that the investigation is still in progress and the report submitted by the SIT should not be considered the final report. Further probe and follow-up action will continue in the sensitive matter.
The SIT had been examining the alleged irregularities linked to temple offerings after the matter surfaced earlier this month. During the investigation, the team conducted document verification, questioned several people and reviewed the process related to donation handling and cash counting.
The preliminary report has now been submitted to the administration, and the next course of action will depend on the findings recorded by the probe team.
The alleged incident related to temple offerings came to light on June 7, following which the state government constituted a Special Investigation Team. The SIT formally began its probe on June 15.
As part of the investigation, information was collected regarding the operational procedures of the Ram Mandir trust. Statements were recorded from around 150 people associated with temple management and related operations.
The SIT also gathered details from General Secretary Champat Rai, Dr. Anil Mishra and administrator Gopal Rao regarding the system followed for handling offerings and cash.
Statements given by Ramshankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu, who is said to be Champat Rai’s driver, and trustee Dr. Anil Mishra were cross-verified. According to the probe details, discrepancies were found, after which both were questioned for three consecutive days.
Written statements were also recorded from 14 people linked to the Trust and the bank. Those questioned included Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Yadav, Rajesh Pathak, Avinash Shukla, Krishnadev Tiwari and Subhash Srivastava, among others.
According to the six-day investigation, several irregularities were detected. The keys to the donation boxes were reportedly found in the possession of Ramshankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu.
The matter has now entered a crucial stage, with the administration expected to examine the SIT report before deciding on further action.
