Ayodhya lawyers file police complaint against Champat Rai in Ram Temple row

Lawyers of the Faizabad Bar Association on Thursday held a protest march in Ayodhya and submitted a police complaint seeking an FIR against the resigned Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary, Champat Rai, trust member Anil Mishra and temple official Gopal Rao over the alleged embezzlement of donation funds.

The lawyers marched from the court premises to the Ram Janmabhoomi police station and demanded that a case be registered and a fair and impartial probe be carried out. According to Faizabad Bar Association president Kalika Prasad Mishra, Krishna Mohan, another trustee and the complainant in the first FIR in the case, has also been named as an accused in the complaint.

A large number of lawyers raised slogans during the march, seeking registration of an FIR and an investigation against the Trust's senior functionaries. The bar association had earlier said it would not defend the accused in the case and warned of a penalty of Rs 5 lakh per accused for any lawyer who chose to represent them.

Police personnel had difficulty managing the crowd during the march, and some lawyers alleged they suffered minor injuries in the jostling. At the police station, several lawyers and media personnel gathered in the Station House Officer's office and pressed for immediate registration of a case, while police officials tried to calm them by saying the complaint would be examined and appropriate action would be taken in accordance with the law.

Mishra told reporters that the association had sought registration of an FIR against the three named persons over the alleged embezzlement of Ram Temple donations and had demanded an impartial investigation. Rao is engaged in temple construction work and is associated with Trust work.

Mishra told news agency PTI, "A written complaint has been submitted. Five people have gone to collect the hard copy of the complaint. If they do not provide the copy, the protest will continue. The police have said that action will be taken and have given full assurance regarding the matter. The FIR includes Champat Rai ji, Anil Mishra ji, Gopal Rao, and Krishna Dev (who was the complainant in the first FIR). For now, we will see what action is taken at Kotwali Shri Ram Janmabhoomi police station."

He said the association would launch an agitation if the police failed to register a case against the accused.

Superintendent of Police (City) Chakrapani Tripathi said the police had received the complaint and it was being examined. Later, police said the complaint had been entered in the General Diary at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station and an acknowledgement receipt had been issued to the complainants.

A senior police officer said the complaint was being examined in accordance with the law and appropriate action would follow. He added that if an FIR was found to be warranted but was not registered, action would also be taken against the officials concerned at the police station. A General Diary is the police station's official register for complaints, incidents and daily proceedings.

The controversy began on June 7 after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple. A Special Investigation Team set up by the Uttar Pradesh government submitted its preliminary findings on June 23, after which an FIR was registered on June 25 and eight people linked to the temple's donation-counting process were arrested. Investigators have also recorded the statement of Rai, who had recently offered to resign, taking "moral responsibility".

Security has meanwhile been stepped up at key locations in Ayodhya amid the controversy. Official sources said the security cover of some senior Trust functionaries, including Rai, had also been enhanced. A security official said deployment had been strengthened at the Teerth Kshetra office, Karsevakpuram and other key installations linked to the Trust.

Four sub-inspectors have been posted at the Teerth Kshetra office and a company of the Provincial Armed Constabulary has also been deployed there. Sources said it was unlikely that there would be any relaxation in the arrangements, especially ahead of an upcoming trust meeting in Ayodhya, where several key issues, including the resignations of Rai and Mishra, are expected to be discussed.

Security officials said there were no restrictions on media coverage, but journalists have for the time being been allowed only up to the steel barricades near the temple, beyond which devotees proceed for darshan and aarti.

The protest by the lawyers, the police examination of the complaint and the tightened security have added to the developments in the Ram temple donation controversy, which has already led to an FIR, arrests and a wider probe.

- Ends