‘If There Was A Muslim In Trust…’: Owaisi's Dig At UP Govt Over Ram Temple Donation Theft

Last Updated:June 30, 2026, 12:57 IST

The Hyderabad MP also questioned the pace of the investigation, alleging that the police were not even seeking custody of the high-profile accused.

Ram Temple Donation Row: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi launched a shapr attack at the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh Government over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

While addressing a gathering in Bijnor, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP sarcastically said that if the accused had been a Muslim in the case, the government would have acted far more aggressively by shooting him in an encounter and bulldozing his house.

“They should have kept a Muslim in the trust and closed the case with his encounter and by bulldozing his house. But currently the accused are enjoying," Owaisi said.

Taking a swipe at former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, who recently resigned, Owaisi remarked, “Champat is enjoying."

The Hyderabad MP also questioned the pace of the investigation, alleging that the police were not even seeking custody of the high-profile accused.

A few days ago, too, Owaisi had questioned the UP government, asking whether a bullet would be fired or a bulldozer would run over the houses of the accused, as happens with Muslims in the state.

His remarks come amid an expanding probe into the alleged embezzlement of devotees’ donations at the Ram Mandir. Police suspect that nearly Rs 7 crore may have been siphoned off over a period of time through manipulation of the counting and deposit process.

An FIR was subsequently registered, following which eight people associated with the counting of cash and valuables donated by devotees were arrested.

The accused have been identified as Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav. They are currently in judicial custody after being produced before a special anti-corruption court through video conferencing.

On Monday, Rai was questioned by the Ayodhya Police for nearly two hours as investigators examined the movement of donations from collection boxes to bank deposits.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has defended Rai and the Trust, saying the Trust itself sought a fair investigation after detecting irregularities. According to the organisation, the Trust conducted an internal inquiry, recovered around Rs 80 lakh and requested the Uttar Pradesh government to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The controversy has sparked political and legal reactions, with the Faizabad Bar Association refusing to represent the arrested accused and demanding further action against certain Trust functionaries. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has deferred hearing on a petition seeking a time-bound CBI-led investigation into the alleged scam.

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Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre...Read More

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