Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad on Friday termed the alleged embezzlement of Ram Mandir donations a “dacoity,” while questioning the timing of the resignations tendered by General Secretary Champat Rai and member trustee Anil Mishra, asserting that the duo should have stepped down from their posts upon the commencement of the investigation.
Speaking to ANI, Ayodhya MP demanded a judicial probe into the Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case, asserting that this is not a simple matter, as people from all over the nation visit Lord Shri Ram’s temple.
“They should have resigned the moment the investigation began or, in fact, they should have resigned back when the scam was actually taking place. This is not a simple matter. It is not confined to a single state; it concerns the entire nation. People from all over the nation visit Lord Shri Ram’s temple. This is not just a simple theft; it is described as dacoity…Our party and our leader, Akhilesh Yadav, who exposed this issue, demanded a high-level inquiry into this major scandal, including a demand for a judicial probe. The Supreme Court itself should take cognisance and constitute a team…” said Prasad.
Alongside Awadhesh Prasad, CPI National General Secretary D. Raja has also demanded a high-level judicial inquiry into the alleged embezzlement, asserting that the current revelations are merely the “tip of the iceberg” and that a comprehensive investigation into the entire matter is necessary.
“Our party, the Communist Party of India, demanded a very high level judicial probe when the embezzlement of donations issue came to the public. Now eight people have been arrested. And two top leaders of VHP and the trust have resigned. This is what we know is just a tip of iceberg. The whole thing has to be probed. All those involved in the looting of donations, they must be brought to justice…whatever the UP government has done is not enough. And there should be a thorough probe,” said D Raja.
Earlier, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and member trustee Anil Mishra resigned on Friday, taking moral responsibility of the alleged embezzlement of Ram Mandir donations, sources said.
The developments came after a First Information Report was registered in the alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The case has been filed under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), on the directions of the Uttar Pradesh Government.
Those who have been named in the FIR are: Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Tinnu Yadav, Manish Yadav and others.
This action followed allegations by former SP MLA from Ayodhya, Pawan Pandey, who claimed that between ₹7 crore and ₹7.5 crore in donations were misappropriated from the Ram Mandir. In response to these claims, the state government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 14 to probe the alleged scam, acting on a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.