Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 7 : Former General Secretary of the Ayodhya Ram Temple Trust, Champat Rai, said that he has maintained silence over the allegations of donation theft and will open up after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) completes the probe.
In an open letter posted on X, Champat Rai maintained that his life has been an "open book".
He wrote, "Various speculations have been circulating regarding an alleged theft during the counting of donations from the donation box at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple complex. Many have levelled baseless personal allegations against me, yet I have maintained silence."
As the preliminary report of the SIT was made public following the Trust's meeting on Monday, Champat Rai said that the report was meant to be confidential.
He wrote, "The preliminary report of the SIT was presented during the temple trust's meeting held in July; although this report was strictly confidential, it has now become public."
"I assure you that following the SIT's final report, I will address the points being raised, and the full truth will come to light. I was sent to Ayodhya by the organisation in October 1991; my life as a Pracharak--spanning 45 years--is an open book, wherever I have lived," the letter read.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Treasurer, Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj, has also announced that the resignations of Champat Rai as General Secretary and trustee Anil Mishra had been accepted following a Trust meeting.
The Trust has decided that Gopal Rao, also known as Gopal Nagarkatte, will no longer be invited to its meetings, Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, successor to Trust President Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, said.
In a development in the probe, an Ayodhya Court has granted the police one day's custody of three accused, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, and Karunesh Pandey, for further interrogation into the Ram Temple donation embezzlement case.
The police had sought seven-day custody of three jailed accused, arguing that their custodial interrogation was required to take the investigation forward.
The Investigating Officer (IO) told the court that questioning the accused was necessary for further progress in the case.
Meanwhile, a Special Investigation Team (SIT), in its preliminary report submitted to the Uttar Pradesh government, found prima facie evidence of theft and pilferage during the counting of donations at the temple.
The report stated that CCTV footage available from April 27 to June 5 repeatedly shows some counting personnel concealing bundles of currency notes and loose cash inside their clothes, pockets, shoes and other hidden places. It also records instances where other employees appeared to assist or shield such activities.
According to the SIT, the available footage documents around 70 instances of alleged theft or pilferage during the period under review.
Based on CCTV footage, recovery records, financial documents and witness statements, the report identifies Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Ramashankar Mishra as having prima facie involvement. It states that Avinash Shukla and Manish Kumar Yadav were repeatedly seen removing or concealing cash, while the others were seen assisting or engaging in similar acts.