Ram Mandir Donation Row: FIR Against 8, Including Champat Rai’s Driver; SIT Probe Widens.

Ayodhya/Lucknow, June 26, 202:-

Ayodhya Shock: Rs 1.5-Cr Land, Rs 40-Lakh Plots by Rs 18K Staff; SIT Finds Lapses in Ram Mandir Cash Count.

What Happened.

An FIR has been registered at Ram Janmabhoomi police station against eight named individuals for alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple. The case follows a preliminary report by a 3-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted to the UP government Tuesday.

The complaint was filed by Krishna Mohan, member of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

 Who Are the Accused.

The FIR names: Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Manish Yadav, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Chandra Srivastava, and Karunesh Pandey.

Tinnu Yadav is the driver of Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and was involved in temple management since the 2024 consecration. He is listed as the principal accused.

Subhash Srivastava headed the cash-counting team.

Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Manish Yadav and 3 others were employed to count temple offerings.

Manish Yadav is Tinnu Yadav’s nephew.

Two accused Anukalp and Lavkush Mishra  have been arrested. Six others are detained for questioning.

The Allegations.

Police say CCTV footage allegedly shows the six counting staff siphoning off cash during the counting process. Sources claim:

Rs 10-12 lakh was recovered from Lavkush Mishra’s house in Rudauli. He earlier worked as a car mechanic before joining the temple.

One staffer on Rs 18,000-20,000 salary recently bought land worth Rs 1.5 crore, another bought a Rs 40-lakh plot.

The FIR is under BNS Sections 306 (theft by clerk/servant), 316 (criminal breach of trust), 317 (cheating), 61 (criminal conspiracy).

Is Champat Rai Named?

No.The FIR does not name Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, member Dr Anil Mishra, or temple construction in-charge Gopal Rao. However, all three were questioned by the SIT during the preliminary probe.

Rai has been “unavailable for comment”and associates say he is unwell. Mishra is “outside UP undergoing medical treatment”.

A separate complaint by activist Santosh Dubey has sought an FIR against Champat Rai and Anil Mishra over 1,250 missing gold, silver, diamond-studded bricks donated during the Ram Temple movement.

SIT Findings & Next Steps.

The SIT Vijay Vishwas Pant, IG Kiran S, and Neel Ratan flagged “alleged lapses, inadequate supervision and negligence in handling, maintenance and counting of donated cash and valuables”.

CM Yogi Adityanath said the SIT will submit a final report in 15 days. “If anyone has evidence, present it before the SIT,”he said.

Police indicated more arrests are likely as CCTV footage, internal records, and bank data are examined. Anyone else found involved will be named.

Political Fallout.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav called it “a glimpse of injustice under BJP rule”, alleging “the small will be hanged, the big fish saved”. Congress cited reports claiming Rs 200 crore  in offerings were stolen and demanded an independent probe.

The Trust says it undergoes “periodic internal audits with SBI”and “nothing noteworthy has come to light” so far.

 Eight people, including the driver of the trust’s most powerful functionary, now face theft and conspiracy charges for allegedly stealing devotee offerings. With CCTV evidence, luxury land buys by low-paid staff, and a parallel complaint naming Champat Rai over missing gold bricks, the SIT’s final report will decide if the crackdown stops at clerks  or reaches the top.