New Delhi [India], October 4 (ANI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday alleged that investigation into the Ram Temple donation theft case has not “reached those suspected of shielding the thieves” and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been “silent” on the issue.
In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh also alleged delays in investigation. He accused the Modi government of being “lenient” in the probe.
“Modi ji, the government doesn’t hesitate to misuse ED and CBI against opposition leaders, but after 105 incidents of offering thefts at Ayodhya’s Ram temple were captured on CCTV, why hasn’t the investigation reached those suspected of shielding the thieves despite being responsible for maintaining order? Why the rush to close the case after recovering just Rs 79.85 lakh from 105 thefts? Why aren’t Champat Rai and Anil Mishra accused—how are they witnesses instead?” he asked.
“Our question is straightforward: When the video of the stolen amount reached Champat Rai on June 4, the CCTV footage was reviewed on June 5, and the FIR was filed on June 25—why hasn’t the full truth of those 21 days’ delay been laid bare before the nation? This question is all the more serious because how could so many incidents occur without high-level collusion, negligence, or protection? How can there be just eight accused despite 105 incidents? Was the investigation’s goal merely to catch petty offering thieves, or to hold accountable those under whose patronage and watch this all continued?” he asked further.
Jairam Ramesh said the Congress has been demanding an independent, impartial, and credible probe under Supreme Court supervision from the very start.
“Even after 105 incidents, if we still don’t know the total amount stolen, why the hurry to end the investigation? The nation demands answers: Does the Modi government want to reach the offering thieves, or bury those questions that could lead to bigger responsible figures? Prime Minister ji, when will the silence break on this matter tied to the faith of fellow citizens?” he asked.
“Remember, the arrogance of power is self-destructive. Now the nation wants answers: When will accountability for the offering thefts be fixed?” he added.
Jairam Ramesh had on September 26 raised a series of questions over the chargesheet filed in the Ayodhya Ram temple offerings theft case, alleging a cover-up and demanding an independent probe under Supreme Court supervision, while the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) International President, Alok Kumar, maintained that the investigation was complete and had found no wrongdoing beyond the theft of offerings.
CCTV recordings have emerged as key evidence in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi donation theft case, with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) chargesheet filed in the local court here stating that accused Avinash Shukla allegedly removed donation money on 85 occasions during the counting process.
The SIT has filed a chargesheet against eight accused persons in the case, citing CCTV footage, mobile chats and Call Detail Records (CDRs) as part of the evidence collected during the investigation.The chargesheet also details the alleged roles of other accused persons in the case.
was allegedly seen removing offering money twice and assisting in the theft on 68 occasions, while Manish Kumar Yadav was allegedly involved 16 times and assisting in the removal of money on 19 occasions, as per the SIT’s chargesheet.
The investigation report further states that Lavkush Mishra allegedly removed offering money once and assisted in the removal of money on 52 occasions. Anukalp Mishra was allegedly observed assisting in the removal of money 56 times, while retired bank employee Rama Shankar Mishra was allegedly seen removing offering money once.
The chargesheet also mentions the alleged communication links between the accused persons, citing mobile chats and Call Detail Records (CDRs) as evidence.Around 98 individuals have been listed as witnesses in the case, including then General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Ji.The eight accused named in the chargesheet are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Rama Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Rama Shankar alias Tinnu.
The FIR in the case was registered on June 25 following a complaint filed by Krishanmohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The complaint alleged theft, embezzlement and planned misappropriation of funds donated by devotees.The police have submitted the chargesheet before the court after examining CCTV footage and other electronic evidence related to the alleged theft of offerings at the temple. (ANI)
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