Ram temple donation row: SIT flags security lapses, SOP violations as probe widens

The alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya has escalated into a major controversy after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) found serious lapses in the shrine's donation management system, with eight people linked to the counting of cash and valuables arrested so far.

According to PTI, the SIT's preliminary report has highlighted multiple violations of the temple's Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), although investigators are still trying to establish the exact amount siphoned off and the modus operandi.

Also Read: Ram temple donation row: Eight accused named in FIR taken into police custody


The report found that mandatory safeguards, including the deployment of security guards during donation counting, frisking of personnel entering and leaving the counting room, and preservation of CCTV footage for 180 days, were not followed, sources told PTI.

In one of the key findings, Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, the former driver of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, allegedly had access to the keys of several donation boxes, or 'hundis', in violation of the rules.

"Many hundis were there. So cash received in those hundis whose keys were with Tinnu was swindled apparently due to laxity in implementing the SOPs. The exact modus operandi is still being established," a source told PTI.

The SOPs were finalised in 2025 after trust officials suspected irregularities in the donation counting process. Signed by trust member Anil Mishra and State Bank of India representative Govind Mishra, they required donation-counting staff to wear clothes without pockets, mandated security deployment by Sainik Security Services (SIS), regular frisking of staff and random checks. According to the SIT, none of these measures was implemented.

The probe also found that CCTV footage of donation counting was retained for only 45 days instead of the mandated 180 days. Donation-counting in-charge and accused Subhash Srivastava was allegedly appointed on the recommendation of one of the trust's top three functionaries, the report said.

The controversy first erupted on June 7 after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple. Champat Rai had then dismissed the allegations, saying, "Nothing noteworthy has come to light during the ongoing internal audit."

However, the SIT, constituted on June 13 on the directions of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, submitted its preliminary report to the government on June 23, uncovering what sources described to PTI as "shocking" instances of mismanagement, donation embezzlement and negligence.

Also Read: Ram Temple donations: BJP betrayed Hindus by playing with their emotions, says Uddhav Thackeray

Following the report, an FIR was registered on June 25 and eight accused -- Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav -- were arrested. All have been remanded to judicial custody till Monday.

Police said Tinnu Yadav had employed his relative and co-accused Manish Kumar Yadav at the temple's cash-counting unit.

According to PTI, investigators have recovered nearly Rs 80 lakh in cash, along with some foreign currency, from six of the eight accused so far. Sources also claimed that Rs 2.5 lakh was recovered from a washroom near the donation counting room shortly after the controversy surfaced and before the SIT was constituted.

The findings have exposed what sources described as "hugely embarrassing" lapses in the management of one of India's most prominent temples, which has witnessed a surge in donations since its consecration in January 2024, particularly during the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj. Sources told PTI that the nature of the SIT's findings could lead to a major overhaul of the temple's management system.