New Delhi, Sep 26 The VHP on Saturday said the controversy surrounding the alleged theft of donations from the Ram temple in Ayodhya should be laid to rest and should not be used as a political tool ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The RSS affiliate organisation claimed that the chargesheet filed by the Supreme Court-mandated Special Investigation Team (SIT) found no wrongdoing by those who worked on the temple’s construction or were part of its trust.
In a video statement, VHP international president Alok Kumar mentioned that some individuals assigned to count the offerings committed the offence and are now in jail. “There was no other irregularity. The rest of the accounts are also in order. All valuables contributed for Lord Ram are safe and properly accounted for. No wrongdoing or offence was found on the part of the trustees,” he noted.
The VHP highlighted that the nearly 70,000-page chargesheet filed after the investigation dismantled all “conspiracies” aimed at defaming the trustees, the general secretary of the trust, the Hindu campaign, the Vishva Hindu Parishad, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, and the temple’s management.
The remarks came after the Supreme Court-mandated SIT, probing the case, filed the chargesheet before the Additional District Judge (Corruption) Court in Ayodhya on September 23.
It stated that the diversion of donations from the Ram temple took place during the cash-counting process and involved a network of people who allegedly removed, concealed and distributed the pilfered funds.
Among the prosecution witnesses named in the chargesheet are former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, trustee Anil Mishra, and construction in-charge Gopal Rao.
The chargesheet names eight accused — Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla alias Shani, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu and Subhash Srivastava — all of whom are in judicial custody.
“This investigation has brought an end to many controversies. All the conspiracies to defame the trustees, the general secretary of the trust, the Hindu campaign, the Vishva Hindu Parishad, the Sangh, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra and the management of the temple have been destroyed and have collapsed,” Kumar added.
Kumar expressed satisfaction with the investigation’s findings, asserting that no wrongdoing was implicated against those who worked for the Ram temple and were part of its trust.
The VHP leader pointed out that the Uttar Pradesh government had reconstituted the SIT to include a forensic auditor in compliance with the Supreme Court’s recommendations, and the investigation into the alleged theft of offerings is now complete, having identified the wrongdoers.
“We hope that politics surrounding this issue will now cease. The Ram temple issue should not be used while preparing for the 2027 Assembly elections. The truth has been revealed. Everyone should accept it, and the noise and controversy should come to an end,” Kumar said.
He also appealed to the court to expedite the proceedings so that those found guilty can be punished without delay.
“The hearings should take place on a day-to-day basis so that those who dared to commit wrongdoing with the Ram temple’s funds receive the strictest possible punishment at the earliest,” he said.
(PTI News)
