Following several allegations regarding the alleged misappropriation of funds in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Trust, the Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter.
The SIT was formed after the Trust urged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to order an independent investigation to establish the facts, claiming that misinformation was being spread about the Trust and the temple.
Following the Trust’s request, the UP government constituted the SIT, comprising Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, IG Kiran S, and Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan.
The move comes after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that crores of rupees donated by devotees at the Ram Temple had gone missing. Akhilesh Yadav had earlier called for an independent inquiry into the matter.
However, the Trust denied any financial irregularities. Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, who is currently in Ayodhya for a Trust meeting, said that he was there to attend discussions regarding the temple’s construction.
The Trust also stated that internal audits of the funds are conducted periodically and that no irregularities have been detected so far. The SIT will now investigate the allegations of misappropriation of temple funds and will soon submit its report to the UP government.