Ayodhya/Lucknow (UP) | Widening its probe, Ayodhya Police on Tuesday recorded the statement of Ram temple trust general secretary Champat Rai in connection with alleged embezzlement of donations and the role of private security personnel hired by the trust also came under the scanner.

As the political firestorm triggered by the case intensified, authorities prevented a Congress delegation led by its Uttar Pradesh unit chief Ajay Rai from visiting the temple in Ayodhya, with the opposition party claiming that they were put under "house arrest".

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) of hypocrisy, saying those who had once questioned the existence of Lord Ram were now eager to visit Ayodhya.

The developments came as the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust prepared for a crucial meeting next week to decide on the resignations of two of its senior functionaries - Champat Rai and Anil Mishra.

Opposition parties and the Faizabad Bar Association have demanded legal action against the two functionaries, who have not been named in the FIR.

A police official confirmed to PTI that Champat Rai's statement had been recorded as part of the investigation into the alleged donation embezzlement.

"Yes, his statements have been recorded," the official said, declining to disclose when, where or for how long the questioning lasted.

Sources said Ayodhya Circle Officer Ashutosh Tiwari, who is heading the investigation, visited Champat Rai's Bharat Kuti residence at Karsevakpuram and sought details and documents relating to the alleged theft.

Asked about reports that Champat Rai had admitted that delaying the registration of an FIR was a mistake, another police official told PTI, "Sorry, (we) can't say anything on that. What transpired is confidential and can't be shared."

The police on Tuesday also questioned accused Avinash Shukla inside the district jail after obtaining court permission, sources said.

They said that the Trust had recovered Rs 20 lakh from Shukla on June 5.

The investigation has also expanded to examine the role of around 400 private security personnel deployed at the temple complex.

Sources said police were scrutinising duty rosters, CCTV footage, entry-exit records and statements of security personnel posted at entry and exit points, darshan routes and the routes used for carrying offerings to ascertain whether prescribed security protocols were followed.

The controversy first erupted on June 7 after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged embezzlement of temple donations, a charge then dismissed by Champat Rai.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government on June 13, reportedly found widespread violations of standard operating procedures governing donation management.

Based on its preliminary findings, an FIR was lodged on June 25 and eight persons associated with the donation-counting process were arrested.

Police have said nearly Rs 80 lakh in cash and some foreign currency have been recovered from six of the accused.

One of the arrested accused, Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, is a former driver of Champat Rai and, according to the SIT, he was in possession of keys to several donation boxes in violation of the prescribed standard operating procedures.

Repeated calls made by PTI to Champat Rai for his comments on the investigation went unanswered.

Meanwhile, the Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath and the BJP-RSS machinery of protecting those involved in the embezzlement and demanded that the SIT report be made public.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said it was "utterly condemnable" that Congress leaders en route to pay obeisance at Lord Shri Ram Temple were put "under house arrest in a dictatorial manner".

He was reacting after UP Congress chief Ajay Rai and other members of a Congress delegation were prevented from visiting the Ram temple.

Ajay Rai claimed he had been placed under "house arrest" and said he would not leave Ayodhya until he was allowed to offer prayers.

"What kind of government is this that is scared of our visiting the Ram temple? I think they have arrested me. Why would they bring me to this guesthouse in the middle of the night and keep me confined here?" he told PTI over the phone.

According to Congress, MPs Kishori Lal Sharma, Rakesh Rathor, Ujjwal Raman Singh and Tanuj Punia, former MLC Deepak Singh were part of the nine-member delegation. Rai alleged that members travelling separately were either stopped on the way, confined to their homes or detained by police.

Amethi MP Sharma said, "They could not stop the donation theft, but they have stopped us Hindus from offering prayers at the temple. What kind of sanatan tradition is this that prevents people from having darshan?"

Later, Sharma alleged that police forcibly escorted him to Ayodhya airport without allowing him to visit the temple.

"The police and the administration forcibly brought me to the airport. They did not allow me to pay obeisance. If they stop me today, I will come tomorrow," he told reporters.

Police sources said around two dozen Congress workers, including youth wing leader Sharad Shukla and former Rajya Sabha MP Aliya Zubairi, were detained during a protest outside Acharya Narendra Dev University, where Rai was staying under police watch. Congress MP Ujjwal Raman Singh was also prevented from leaving his Prayagraj residence, according to his aide.

Addressing a public meeting in Rampur, CM Adityanath accused the Congress and the SP of attempting to exploit the controversy.

"Who is advocating devotion to Lord Ram today? The very people who before 2017 ordered lathi-charges on those raising the slogan 'Jai Shri Ram'. When Ram devotees proclaimed 'Ram Lalla Hum Aayenge, Mandir Wahin Banayenge', they were met with bullets. Today, the same people are speaking in the name of faith," he said.

Adityanath said those who had once questioned the existence of Lord Ram were now eager to visit Ayodhya and likened the opposition to the Ramayana character Kalanemi for "deceit and trickery".

"Today, even they (opposition) say that Ram belongs to everyone... But Lord Ram knows who is right and who is wrong," the CM said.

Amid the deepening controversy, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is expected to meet in Ayodhya on July 6 to discuss its future course of action. Sources Ayodhya (UP) | Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai and other members of a party delegation were on Tuesday prevented from visiting the Ram temple in Ayodhya, where the alleged theft of donations has sparked a major political storm and put the ruling BJP on the backfoot.

Rai claimed he has been placed under "house arrest" here and said he would not leave Ayodhya until he is allowed to offer prayers at the Ram temple.

According to the Congress leader, members of the party delegation travelling separately for Tuesday's visit were either stopped on the way, confined to their homes or detained by police. However, there was no official word on the action against them.

The Congress team led by Rai was scheduled to visit Ayodhya on Tuesday amid the ongoing controversy over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the shrine. Its members included MPs Kishori Lal Sharma (Amethi), Rakesh Rathor (Sitapur), Ujjwal Raman Singh (Prayagraj) and Tanuj Punia (Barabanki).

"They could not stop the donation theft, but they have stopped us Hindus from offering prayers at the temple. What kind of sanatan tradition is this that prevents people from having darshan?" Amethi MP Sharma said.

Sharma, former MLC Deepak Singh and around half a dozen other local party leaders were at a hotel since Monday night. The police reached there and did not allow them to leave for the Ram temple. On Tuesday evening, Sharma left for Delhi from the Ayodhya airport, an associate of the MP told PTI.

"The police and the administration forcibly brought me to the airport. They did not allow me to pay obeisance. If they stop me today, I will come tomorrow," Sharma told reporters.

Around two dozen Congress workers, including youth wing leader Sharad Shukla, were detained and taken to police lines when they were holding a sit-in outside the Acharya Narendra Dev University in Kumar Ganj, where Rai remained in a guest house under police watch. They were demanding that the party leaders be allowed to visit the Ram temple, according to police sources.

Former Congress Rajya Sabha MP Aliya Zubairi was also taken into custody during the protest, the sources said.

Rai said he was moved from a hotel to the government guesthouse at the university around midnight by the police.

"What kind of government is this that is scared of our visiting the Ram temple? I think they have arrested me. Why would they bring me to this guesthouse in the middle of the night and keep me confined here?" Rai told PTI over the phone.

Rai's wife, Reena Rai, also put out a video statement late Monday, saying her husband had been taken into custody by police and the family had not been informed about his whereabouts.

"The family is worried, and we fear for his safety," she said.

Congress MP from Prayagraj Ujjwal Raman Singh was also prevented from leaving his Ashok Nagar residence, his aide said.

Vinay Kushwaha, a representative of the MP, told PTI over the phone that police personnel had been stationed outside the residence since morning and were not allowing Singh to leave for Ayodhya.

He said the police neither informed them that the MP was under house arrest nor that he had been detained, but continued to prevent him from stepping out.

Rai paid obeisance at the Ram temple on June 18, days after the allegations of embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple had surfaced.

The alleged embezzlement of temple donations has triggered a major political controversy with opposition parties accusing the BJP and the RSS of betraying Hindus and Lord Ram and demanding a wider probe.

Asserting that the guilty will not be spared, the BJP has alleged that opposition parties which never spoke in favour of the Ram temple were politicising the issue to divide the Hindu community.

Addressing a public meeting in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath targeted the Congress and the Samajwadi Party over the controversy, accusing them of hypocrisy over their "newfound" support for Lord Ram.

"Who is advocating devotion to Lord Ram today? The very people who before 2017 ordered lathi-charges on those raising the slogan 'Jai Shri Ram'.

"When Ram devotees proclaimed 'Ram Lalla Hum Aayenge, Mandir Wahin Banayenge', they were met with bullets. Today, the same people are speaking in the name of faith," the chief minister said.said the meeting would consider the resignations of Rai and trust member Anil Mishra, with a "high" possibility of both being accepted.

The Trust is also expected to deliberate on restructuring its management and the proposal to appoint a chief executive officer, which would require amendments to its bylaws.