Owaisi Questions Ram Mandir Donation Theft Investigation Slow Pace
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has criticised the Uttar Pradesh government over the handling of the Ram Mandir donation theft case. Speaking at a rally in Bijnor on Monday, Owaisi sarcastically remarked that if a Muslim had been on the Ram Mandir trust, the government would have already carried out an encounter and bulldozed his house.
Owaisi questioned the 'delayed' action by the authorities, alleging that the police are not even seeking custody of the high-profile accused. 'They should have kept a Muslim in the trust and closed the case with his encounter and by bulldozing his house. But currently the accused are enjoying,' Owaisi said to applause from the crowd. He specifically referred to Champat Rai, the former general secretary of the trust, who resigned after the theft came to light, stating 'Champat is enjoying'.
The opposition leader had previously questioned the state government's approach, asking whether a bullet or bulldozer would be used against the accused as is done with Muslims in Uttar Pradesh. The theft of donations from the Ram Mandir has sparked a major political controversy, with opposition parties attacking the Yogi Adityanath government.
The case began after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav raised questions publicly. Subsequently, the state government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter. The SIT has conducted searches, recovered unaccounted cash, and questioned temple staff and bank officials. The trust's general secretary, Champat Rai, and trustee Anil Mishra have stepped down following the controversy.
On June 25, the first First Information Report (FIR) was filed based on a complaint by trust member Krishna Mohan. The FIR named eight individuals who served as donation counting staff at the temple: Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ram Shankar Yadav. They have all been arrested, along with several unidentified persons. The exact amount stolen is not yet known, but it is estimated that around Rs 7 to 7.5 crore in cash is missing. Police have recovered nearly Rs 80 lakh from the accused so far.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has stated that the government will adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards anyone undermining public trust. The controversy has drawn reactions across the political spectrum, with calls for a thorough overhaul of the temple's management systems.
