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India's Ram temple trust reshuffles leadership after donation theft scandal
🇵🇰 Pakistan /Culture & Society

India's Ram temple trust reshuffles leadership after donation theft scandal

From Dawn · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A trust managing India's Ram temple, built on the site of the demolished Babri mosque, has replaced leaders after an alleged theft of millions of rupees in donations.
  • The alleged theft provides opposition parties with ammunition ahead of an election in Uttar Pradesh, where the temple is located.
  • Opposition parties are calling for the trust to be dissolved and for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the issue, while the ruling party accuses them of opportunism.

The trust overseeing India's Ram temple in Ayodhya has undergone a leadership overhaul following allegations of theft involving millions of rupees in donations. This development comes after the temple's consecration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024, a project that fulfilled a key promise of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

This donation theft is a very shameful incident for all of us. We all are hurt.

— Govindadev GiriThe trust treasurer described the alleged theft.

The alleged theft has become a significant issue for the opposition ahead of upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state. The temple's construction itself was a decades-long, controversial process, stemming from the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, which led to nationwide riots and the deaths of 2,000 people, primarily Muslims.

We all are hurt.

— Govindadev GiriThe trust treasurer described the alleged theft.

Trustees accepted the resignation of General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra. While the exact amount stolen was not disclosed, authorities reported recovering nearly eight million Indian rupees from eight arrested individuals. The temple had received INR5.82 billion in offerings by March 31.

Shameful incident

— Govindadev GiriThe trust treasurer described the alleged theft.

Trust treasurer Govindadev Giri described the incident as "shameful." The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu group linked to the BJP, urged patience to prevent "anti-Hindu" forces from exploiting the situation. Opposition parties, however, have demanded a complete dissolution of the trust and a Supreme Court-supervised investigation, while the BJP contends the opposition is being opportunistic.

foil the conspiracies of anti-Hindu, anti-national forces who seek to exploit this unfortunate incident to malign Hindu dharma and society

— Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)The Hindu group urged Hindus to be patient.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dawn in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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