Trust Leadership Resigns After Alleged Theft of Offerings
The trust managing India's grand Ram temple in Ayodhya has restructured its leadership after people involved in counting donations were accused of stealing millions of rupees in offerings. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, established by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to build the temple, accepted the resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra during a meeting on Monday. An interim secretary was appointed, and a committee was formed to identify candidates for a newly created chief executive position.
Amount Stolen and Recovered
The trust did not disclose the total amount stolen. However, authorities reported that after the arrest of eight people last month, nearly 8 million rupees (about $83,967) had been recovered from seven of them. As of March 31, the temple had received 5.82 billion rupees (about $61 million) in donations. Trust treasurer Govindadev Giri told reporters, “This donation theft is a very shameful incident for all of us. We all are hurt.”
Political Fallout Ahead of Uttar Pradesh Elections
The alleged theft has provided ammunition to the opposition ahead of elections due early next year in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, where the temple is located. The temple site was bitterly contested for decades, culminating in nationwide riots in 1992 that killed about 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, after a Hindu mob demolished the 16th-century Babri Masjid. The construction of the temple dedicated to Lord Ram fulfilled one of the biggest promises of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which draws most of its support from India's Hindu majority.
RSS Urges Restraint
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu nationalist organisation from which the BJP emerged, urged Hindus to remain patient and restrained to “foil the conspiracies of anti-Hindu, anti-national forces who seek to exploit this unfortunate incident to malign Hindu dharma and society.”
Opposition Demands Dissolution and Probe
Opposition parties have called for the trust to be dissolved and urged Modi to address the controversy publicly. Congress party spokesperson Pawan Khera said, “The country does not need piecemeal resignations. It deserves a complete dissolution and overhaul of the trust, and every one of its members must face an independent, Supreme Court-supervised investigation.” The BJP has accused the opposition of exploiting the issue for political gain.
Background of the Temple Dispute
Hindus believe the site marks the birthplace of Lord Ram and say it was revered long before the Mughal-era Babri Masjid was built there in 1528 after a temple was allegedly demolished. In 2019, India's Supreme Court awarded the disputed land to Hindus while ordering that Muslims be given an alternative plot for a mosque. The temple's consecration was led by Prime Minister Modi in 2024 after decades of controversy.
