Jagran Correspondent, Ayodhya | Mahipal Singh, who emerged as a key whistleblower in the Ram Temple offering theft case, made several revelations while speaking to Dainik Jagran over the phone.
Singh, a former accounts in-charge of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, alleged that receipts for donated items and funds had not been issued there for 10 months.
Singh alleged that there had been big irregularities and discrepancies in temple donations and offerings. Singh said he is not inspired by any political party and his ideological family is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He served as in-charge of two Sangh offices, Kota and Udaipur. The former bank official also served as the state co-service chief of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Rajasthan.
Mahipal Singh Was Removed From The Counting Of Offerings
Singh told Dainik Jagran that he was called to Ayodhya for a task at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in 2021. Receipts for donations had not been issued there for 10 months, he said. Singh was entrusted with the responsibility of resolving the issue. He was assigned the duties of Accountant and Co-Office In-Charge of the Trust. His tenure as the accounts in-charge at the Ram Kachari office of the Trust was from January 2021 to May/July 2022.
Singh stated that he worked at the Ram Temple Trust from January 2021 to July 2022, but was removed from the accounts in March 2022.
‘Clean Chit Being Created For Champat Rai’s Return
Singh asserted that the old SIT cannot give a clean chit to Champat Rai, the former general secretary of the trust, and trustee Dr Anil Mishra. The ground for Rai’s return is being made for a meeting on September 2, he claimed.
He reiterated that the audit report for the years 2021 to 2022 raised numerous objections, which the trust did not resolve. Explaining the deployment of counting personnel, he said that a Varanasi-based agency had hired counting personnel, but Rai and Tinnu Yadav handled the appointments. He also cited the example of Manish Yadav, a former counting personnel.
‘Counting Staff Had No Banking Knowledge’
He claimed that not a single counting personnel had banking knowledge. They hired their loyalists, Singh added. He alleged misappropriation of donations, stating that during counting, fewer bundles of currency notes were shown, contrary to the actual amount. He also alleged that proper receipts or entries were not made for precious metals (gold and silver) taken out of donation boxes. Singh said the initial estimated cost of construction of Ram temple (about Rs 800 crore) would increase to about Rs 2,200 crore.
Who Is Mahipal Singh?
Born in Kota, Rajasthan, in 1959, Mahipal Singh was captivated by the work and ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as soon as he entered his teens. This led him to join the RSS as a child volunteer in 1968, at the age of nine. He subsequently became actively involved in organising RSS branches in Kota and participating prominently in its programs.
A brilliant student from the beginning, Mahipal Singh landed a job at a bank upon turning 21. He remained employed at the cooperative bank until 2019, serving in positions ranging from cashier to regional officer for 39 years. During this time, he continued to fulfil various responsibilities for the RSS and VHP.
After retiring from government service, he became fully active in the Sangh Parivar again. The Sangh gave him a major responsibility in the Ram Temple fundraising campaign. He was appointed in-charge of the Kota division area.