New Delhi: A fresh controversy has emerged around the Ram temple in Ayodhya after Santosh Dubey, head of Dharm Sena Bharat and a former Kar Sevak, filed a complaint alleging large-scale misappropriation of temple donations.
Dubey, who was a co-accused alongside senior BJP leader L.K. Advani in the Babri Masjid demolition case, alleged that members of the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust siphoned off funds and valuables worth more than Rs 200 crore. The complaint was filed on June 16 and names trust General Secretary Champat Rai Bansal along with several other individuals.
According to the complaint, devotees donate cash, gold and silver ornaments, and coins at the temple on a daily basis. Dubey claimed that donations worth more than Rs 1 crore are deposited every day in temple donation boxes. He stated that the responsibility for protecting and accounting for these donations rests with the trust administration.
Dubey alleged that trust officials and employees acted in collusion to remove cash, ornaments, and coins from donation boxes. He further claimed that account records were manipulated and figures were fabricated to conceal the alleged diversion of funds.
The complaint also referred to media reports which, according to Dubey, suggested that donated jewellery and other valuables were misappropriated and sold. He alleged that some items had later been recovered from petty thieves.
Seeking legal action, Dubey urged Uttar Pradesh Police to register an FIR and launch a detailed investigation. He also called for the recovery of donated assets and requested polygraph examinations of the accused individuals as part of the probe.
The allegations have triggered political reactions. Opposition parties, particularly the Samajwadi Party, have raised questions about the management of temple funds and called attention to the complaint.
