Ram Temple theft surfaced after looters fought, Rs 80 lakh found in dump: SP leader

Samajwadi Party leader from Ayodhya and former Uttar Pradesh minister Pawan Pandey has claimed that he was among the first to learn about the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple and even asserted that Lord Ram himself chose party chief Akhilesh Yadav to expose the matter.

The controversy came to light on June 7 when Yadav cited reports claiming that crores of rupees in temple donations were unaccounted for and urged the courts to take cognisance of the matter.

Speaking on UP Tak's special podcast, Pandey detailed how he and Yadav came to know about the alleged financial irregularities at the temple while also commenting on the resignation of senior temple trust officials and the ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe.

HOW AKHILESH YADAV EXPOSED ALLEGED THEFT

Pandey claimed that the Samajwadi Party chief had already received information about the alleged irregularities at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and had called him to verify the claims.

"He asked whether offerings, jewellery and large-scale irregularities had taken place. I told him that everything was absolutely true," Pandey recalled.

According to Pandey, Yadav then posted about the alleged theft on X, triggering nationwide attention.

"This is extremely unfortunate. Ayodhya is known across the world because of Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram. It has a glorious history, with the Saryu river, Hanumangarhi, Bajrangbali, and numerous revered saints and mahants," he said.

'LORD RAM CHOSE AKHILESH YADAV': PANDEY

During the podcast, Pandey, who represented Ayodhya in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly between 2012 and 2017, made the extraordinary claim that divine intervention led to the alleged scam being exposed.

"The information came to us when Lord Ram himself realised that robbery was taking place in his temple. Money was disappearing, offerings were disappearing, and people's faith was being betrayed," he claimed.

Pandey further alleged that Lord Ram chose Yadav to reveal the alleged scam because the Samajwadi Party chief is a devotee of Lord Shiva and is constructing a grand Kedareshwar Mahadev temple.

"You will have to ask Akhilesh ji. But it was Lord Ram who made Akhilesh ji aware that robbery was taking place in his sacred temple," he said.

HOW THE THEFT CAME TO LIGHT

Pandey also alleged that the matter became public only after those allegedly involved in the theft began fighting among themselves over the division of the money.

"The people responsible for counting the offerings began fighting over who was taking away more money. One would accuse another of taking jewellery or cash," he alleged.

He further claimed that trust officials had suppressed the alleged irregularities for years and that internal infighting eventually brought the matter into the open.

According to him, the alleged thefts did not begin in May or June this year but had been taking place for several years. He also accused Champat Rai and Anil Mishra of shielding those allegedly involved.

ON CHAMPAT RAI'S RESIGNATION

Questioning the resignation of Rai, the former general secretary of the trust, Pandey argued that an innocent person would have had no reason to step down.

"When you steal, act dishonestly and protect those who steal, this is what happens," he alleged.

Rai and Mishra on Friday submitted their resignations, taking moral responsibility after the preliminary findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) reportedly flagged serious lapses in the handling and monitoring of donations offered by devotees at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Pandey cited the example of Mahipal Singh, who had earlier claimed that the amount recorded in the registers was lower than the cash actually found inside donation boxes. He alleged that Singh had complained to Rai and Mishra, but no action was taken.

"If Mahipal Singh was lying, then Champat Rai should have filed a case against him for making false allegations regarding Lord Ram's temple, revered by 140 crore Indians. Why did he not do so?" Pandey asked.

Using a popular Hindi phrase, Pandey sought to describe what he alleged was the conduct of some trust members: "Ram Ram japna, paraya maal apna (taking the name of God while indulging in unethical activities)". "Their true character has been revealed," he alleged.

He further claimed that even Lord Ram would feel ashamed to find himself surrounded by such "looters".

ON THE SIT PROBE

Pandey said he had no faith in the SIT, alleging that the trust itself had sought the probe and would ultimately receive the investigation report despite being accused in the case.

The Uttar Pradesh government constituted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 following a request from the trust after allegations of misappropriation of donations at the Ram Temple surfaced.

"Rs 80 lakh was recovered from a garbage dump. Money is being recovered from people's homes. What more proof does the SIT require?" he asked.

He further alleged that the trust, constituted under the directions of the Supreme Court and announced by the Prime Minister, had betrayed not only the faith of 140 crore Indians, but also the confidence reposed in it by the apex court.

Calling for a court-monitored investigation, Pandey urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter, dissolve the existing trust, and order an inquiry by a sitting or former Supreme Court judge to determine who was allegedly involved, how the alleged thefts took place, and who protected those responsible.

- Ends