Last Updated on June 26, 2026 8:32 pm by BIZNAMA NEWS
SIT Arrests Eight in Alleged Ram Temple Donation Misappropriation Case; Champat Rai, Anil Mishra Step Down from Trust Posts
By Our Correspondent
The alleged misappropriation of donations offered by devotees at the Ram Temple has taken a significant political and administrative turn. A day after the Uttar Pradesh Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested eight people in connection with the case, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai resigned from his post. Trust member Anil Mishra also stepped down.
According to media reports, one of those arrested is Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, who is said to be Champat Rai’s driver and close associate. The resignations came shortly after the SIT intensified its investigation into allegations of theft and embezzlement of donations made by devotees at the Ram Temple.
The SIT, constituted earlier this month, registered an FIR on Thursday and launched a series of raids and arrests. Besides Ramashankar Yadav, those arrested include Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Ramashankar Mishra, Manish Yadav, Subhash Chandra Srivastava, and Karunesh Pandey.
All eight accused were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court on Friday after undergoing medical examinations. The court remanded them to 14 days of judicial custody.
While the police have not officially disclosed the total amount allegedly involved in the fraud, the investigation relates to accusations that donations worth several crores of rupees were siphoned off from the temple’s offerings. Police said they recovered a total of ₹79,85,493 from the accused during the investigation.
When the allegations first surfaced, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust dismissed them, describing them as an attempt to tarnish the image of the Ram Temple and hurt the religious sentiments of millions of devotees. However, following the SIT’s action and the arrests, the matter has assumed greater significance.
Given the Ram Temple’s religious and political importance, the issue has quickly emerged as a major political controversy in Uttar Pradesh ahead of next year’s Assembly elections. The opposition has intensified its attack on the BJP government over the case.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) claimed that the SIT’s action vindicated the allegations it had raised earlier. Party spokesperson Mohammad Azam said the government investigation had confirmed that theft of temple donations had taken place and described the development as “a victory for Ram devotees.”
Reacting to the arrests and the resignations of Champat Rai and Anil Mishra, SP president Akhilesh Yadav wrote on social media that the BJP’s “Lanka Kand” would unfold in Ayodhya itself. He alleged that the “mask of those claiming devotion through donations has finally come off” and predicted the downfall of the BJP’s political dominance.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath appealed to political parties not to politicise the matter. He reiterated that the state government has followed a policy of “zero tolerance” from the very beginning and said no one found guilty would be spared, irrespective of their position. He urged anyone possessing evidence related to the case to submit it before the SIT to facilitate a fair and impartial investigation.
The Chief Minister also asserted that any attempt to misuse or misappropriate donations made by devotees or undermine their faith would not be tolerated. The investigation is continuing, and authorities have not yet filed a chargesheet or established the allegations in court.