How SIT report is helping Trust fight claims of missing gold, silver offerings

Ayodhya: The SIT report on the Ram Temple donation theft case has provided relief to the Trust by ruling out allegations that sizeable quantities of donated silver had gone missing.By finding no evidence of a wider conspiracy within the institution, the report strengthens the Trust’s contention that the controversy stemmed from the misconduct of a few people at donation counters and administrative failures amounting to criminal negligence, rather than an organised theft by the establishment itself.After reports of donation theft emerged, several people and organisations started claiming that silver and gold offerings made by them at the temple had gone missing.However, not only did the SIT say that all these offerings were accounted for, its treasurer, Govind Dev Giri, also displayed some key offerings, including a gold-plated Ramcharitmanas, at the temple on Monday.The most discussed case was of former Union home secretary and retired IAS officer S Lakshminarayan, who had donated a gold-plated Ramcharitmanas, said to be worth Rs 5 crore, and claimed that it had gone missing.Similarly, Anita Bhardwaj alleged that precious silver Kagbhushundi, which she had handed over to the Trust members, was also not found.However, it was later found that all the items were accounted for.With the change of guard notified during the July 6 meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, restoring the faith of millions of devotees who have been watching the controversy closely has been cited as the foremost priority by the interim general secretary, Krishna Mohan.

It is also clear from the annual report of the Trust that precious silver items donated by the devotees have been melted and ornaments and jewellery have been turned into silver bars so that they can be easily stored in lockers.Ram Temple has received 32.2 kg of gold items and about 1,195 kg of silverware. The Trust had engaged Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd to melt the silverware. So far, 944 kg of precious metal items have been recycled into bars.The SIT report provided to Krishna Mohan, who was the complainant in the donation case, mentioned three news reports that were publicised in the past — Indian Bullion and Jewellers Association, Vishwa Hindi Sewa Samaj and Anil Vishwakarma — in which allegations were levelled by the donors against the Trust. The investigation established that the charges were baseless.The three-member SIT also said that the Trust should strengthen the procedure through which donated valuable items are received and managed.Treasurer of the Trust Swami Govind Dev Giri said that all the 2,926 valuable items received by the Trust so far were accounted for, and devotees could go through the records after seeking an appointment with the Trust administration in Ayodhya.National spokesperson of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Vinod Bansal said: “Samajwadi Party, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party should apologise to ‘Ram bhakts’ for their propaganda.

I would also ask the people who have donated huge sums and valuable items to introspect, as their allegations have affected other devotees who are hesitating in donating money while visiting the Ram Temple. All the valuable items are accounted for, which is mentioned in the annual report tabled during the Trust meeting.

”“People donate precious items and expect us to keep them within the sanctum sanctorum. But they should understand that valuable items cannot be placed openly in an accessible area. Several events and religious ceremonies are conducted frequently inside the innermost part of the temple, and it is difficult to keep tabs on people’s activities. All valuable items are shifted to secure locations within the temple complex,” a volunteer deputed at the temple said.