Ayodhya temple row: Champat Rai questioned; Congress claims leaders under house arrest

Days after Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai resigned and took ‘moral responsibility’ over the alleged donation box embezzlement case, Ayodhya police on Tuesday (June 30) recorded his statement as part of the ongoing investigation.

Ayodhya Circle Officer Ashutosh Tiwari, who is leading the probe, visited Rai’s residence at Bharat Kuti in Karsevakpuram and recorded his statement, police sources said. Officials, however, refused to disclose details of the questioning, stating that the matter was part of an ongoing investigation.

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A police official said that details regarding the registration of the FIR and other aspects of the probe could not be shared as the matter was confidential.

The donation box controversy

The development comes amid a widening controversy over alleged irregularities in the handling of donations at the Ram temple, with opposition parties demanding accountability and a deeper investigation.

According to sources, the temple trust had become aware of the alleged donation theft before June 7, when the issue first came into public focus. Supporters of Rai have maintained that he acted immediately after learning about the alleged fraud and described him as “clean”. However, questions have been raised over the delay in filing the FIR against the accused.

The controversy escalated after a video surfaced on June 5, allegedly showing the recovery of a bag containing stolen donation money from the residence of accused Avinash Shukla. The matter gained political attention on June 7 after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged irregularities in temple donations.

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Rai had then rejected the allegations, saying that an internal audit of the donation management system had not revealed anything significant.

SIT probe

Following the allegations, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 to examine the claims. The preliminary SIT report is believed to have highlighted multiple violations of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to donation collection and counting.

Based on the SIT’s preliminary findings submitted on June 23, an FIR was registered on June 25 and eight people associated with the donation-counting process were arrested.

Police have said that nearly Rs 80 lakh in cash, along with foreign currency, has been recovered from six accused so far.

Among those arrested is Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, a former driver of Champat Rai. According to the SIT, Yadav had access to keys of several donation boxes, which investigators said was against the prescribed SOPs.

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Police also questioned another accused, Avinash Shukla, inside the district jail after receiving court permission. Sources said the trust had recovered Rs 20 lakh from Shukla on June 5.

Demand for transparency

The issue has now turned into a major political controversy, with Congress attacking the BJP and demanding that the SIT report be made public.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that those responsible for the alleged theft were being protected due to political connections and demanded strict action against all accused. “The entire country is anguished by the loot of donations in the Shri Ram Temple,” Ramesh said, alleging that the FIR was registered only after public pressure.

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate described the alleged theft as a “cardinal sin” and demanded an independent probe monitored by a sitting Supreme Court judge. She also questioned why the SIT report had not been released publicly.

Temple entry row

Meanwhile, Congress leaders also attempted to visit the Ram temple amid the controversy but alleged that they were prevented from entering Ayodhya. Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai claimed he was placed under house arrest, while party leaders alleged that several members of their delegation were stopped by police.

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The BJP, however, rejected the opposition’s allegations and accused political parties of attempting to use the issue to target the Ram temple.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath criticised the Congress and Samajwadi Party, accusing them of raising concerns over the temple only for political reasons.