New Delhi [India], July 5 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday claimed that VHP International President Alok Kumar's letter proves the organisation is panicking over alleged embezzlement in Ram Janmbhoomi donations and that the VHP's failure to produce internal witnesses indicates "an outright surrender" and "an admission of guilt."
Bharadwaj's remarks came in response to a letter written by VHP International President and Senior Advocate Alok Kumar regarding the ongoing controversy.
"This makes it clear that the VHP is troubled that the issue of donation theft is being raised across the country. If their intentions were clean, they would have said that there are many people within the VHP who want to come forward about this, because people connected to their organisation were involved in this trust. But they haven't presented even a single witness. This means Alok Kumar has surrendered. They have accepted that people from their party won't become witnesses in the matter of donation theft," Bharadwaj told ANI.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) International President and Senior Advocate Alok Kumar wrote a letter to Ayodhya Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Tiwari regarding the statements of several political leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, Ram Gopal Yadav, Sanjay Singh, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case.
Kumar also requested the Ayodhya DSP to "record their statements, seek the factual basis, sources, and supporting documents for their allegations."
The development comes as the investigation into the alleged misappropriation of temple donations continues. On July 3, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) visited the Ram Temple in Ayodhya premises to carry forward its probe. The Uttar Pradesh government had earlier granted the SIT a 15-day extension on July 1 to widen the scope of its investigation and conduct a comprehensive inquiry into all aspects of the case.
Meanwhile, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust member Mahant Dinendra Das Maharaj welcomed the administration's action and called for stringent punishment for those found guilty.
Speaking to ANI, he said, "The action taken by the administration is appropriate. Whatever verdict is delivered will be the right one. The Chief Minister ensured the culprits were caught; otherwise, they might never have been found."He further said that strict action would deter similar incidents in the future. "If the administration continues to take action, such thefts will cease. It is right to imprison anyone found guilty in this matter. Stealing from Ram Mandir is a heinous crime," he added.
Mahant Dinendra Das also asserted that temple rituals and worship continue without disruption and maintained that transparency in handling donations has been strengthened.
An FIR in the case was registered on June 25 after the SIT submitted its preliminary report on June 23, leading to the arrest of eight accused. Former trustee Anil Mishra and Trust General Secretary Champat Rai subsequently resigned, taking moral responsibility for the alleged misappropriation. Ayodhya Police is expected to interrogate the arrested accused as the investigation progresses.