‘Current arrangements excellent’: Mathura seer’s U-turn after corruption allegations in temple donation

Agra: Days after Mathura-based seer Dinesh “Phalahari” Maharaj claimed a “massive embezzlement in donations” at Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple and drew parallels with the alleged theft at Ayodhya Ram temple, he told TOI Saturday that the “current arrangements at Mathura temple were excellent as all systems were in order”, and he has “no concrete evidence to support his earlier claims”.Explaining the reason behind his U-turn, Phalahari said, “A priest had told me that a bigger scam than Ayodhya had happened here. Based on that, I requested CM Yogi Adityanath to order a CBI probe. I repeatedly asked the priest to provide evidence, but he couldn’t. I also want to say that some people are trying to damage the image of this grand temple and the govt, and we do not want to give them that opportunity.”The prominent seer, while withdrawing his CBI probe demand, added: “I want the CM to know that the current arrangements, including daily bhandara and security measures, here are excellent.

And the donation system is monitored through CCTV cameras. Everything appears to be in order. Our concerns have been addressed...”Following Phalahari’s allegations on June 17, secretary of Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva-Sansthan, Kapil Sharma, had purportedly sent a letter to CM Yogi on June 21 to “probe the matter and clear the air”.“Dinesh Phalahari made baseless, false and fabricated allegations about financial irregularities, manipulation in counting of donations and large-scale property acquisition by the temple management.

To avoid confusion among followers, we’ve requested the CM to get all of it investigated by a competent authority,” Sharma said on Saturday.He added that he had been associated with the temple for nearly three decades without taking a salary or honorarium, and that “he even bore official travel expenses from his own pocket”. In his letter, he wrote: “A competent authority should investigate the temple’s accounts and my personal assets too and its findings should be made public so that the truth comes out before devotees...”The temple trust has also filed a complaint against Phalahari at Mathura’s Govind Nagar police station alleging fraud, extortion and attempts to defame the institution. Police said that they are examining the complaint.It all started earlier this month when Phalahari publicly accused the temple management of a lack of transparency in donations and revenue linked to rituals such as ‘chhappan bhog’ -- the traditional offering of 56 delicacies to the deity of Lord Krishna. Accusing Sharma of amassing assets worth Rs 1,000 crore, he called for a CBI probe into the Mathura’s temple’s revenue records. Sharma, on his part, had strongly denied the allegations and said the trust was ready for an official investigation.