Congress questions SIT probe into Ram Temple donation theft case
You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
File photo for representational purposes only. | Photo Credit: PTI
The Congress on Saturday (September 26, 2026) questioned the scope of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged chadhawa chori (theft of devotees’ offerings) at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, asking why key functionaries responsible for the temple’s management had not been named as accused in the case.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the issue and asked him to respond.
The Congress’s communications chief questioned the 21-day delay between the reported recovery of ₹2.25 lakh from a bathroom on June 4, 2026 and the registration of a First Information Report on June 25. Mr. Ramesh sought an impartial investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
In a post on social media platform X, Mr. Ramesh said the chargesheet had recorded that a video of the cash recovery was sent to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai on June 4, and that he was shown the CCTV footage on the following day.
“If the CCTV footage, recovery and identification of suspicious employees had already come to light, why was there such a delay in initiating criminal action?” Mr. Ramesh said.
The Congress leader also questioned why Mr. Rai, trustee Anil Mishra, and construction in-charge Gopal Rao had been made witnesses rather than accused in the case.
According to Mr. Ramesh, the chargesheet records 105 instances of offerings being removed during the counting process. One accused was allegedly seen removing money on 85 occasions, he said.
“Can the full truth of the offering theft come out without investigating the role of those responsible for overseeing and managing the system?” Mr. Ramesh asked.
He also questioned the decision to restrict the case to eight accused despite the SIT examining CCTV footage, digital communications, and financial records.
“Did the SIT establish accountability for the entire system or did it confine the matter to just the minor players?” the Congress leader said.
The alleged theft concerned offerings made by devotees and the investigation should therefore establish responsibility beyond those directly accused of removing the cash, Mr. Ramesh said.
He also asked whether the investigation had examined any possible links to the senior leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
“The case cannot be considered closed until the real responsibility for the theft of offerings made in the name of Lord Ram is fixed,” Mr. Ramesh said, calling for an impartial and transparent investigation under the Supreme Court’s supervision.
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
