Lucknow (UP) | Over half of the employees engaged in counting donations at the Ram temple have resigned amid the ongoing investigation into the alleged embezzlement of offerings, reducing the strength of counting personnel to just around a dozen, sources said on Friday.

Trust sources said attendance at the donation counting centre had already dropped after the case came to light, with only 15-20 of the around 40 personnel regularly reporting for duty due to fear following the investigation.

According to the sources, around 20 of the counting staff have resigned from their duty. The employees who resigned cited increased workload, saying the counting process has become more time-consuming after the alleged theft surfaced.

The employees also said the counting exercise, which was earlier carried out in two shifts, has now been reduced to a single shift lasting around nine to 10 hours, without any increase in wages. They further said that while donations were earlier counted on tables and chairs, the exercise is now conducted while sitting on the floor.

Security and vigilance at the counting centre have been tightened considerably. Employees are now subjected to multiple rounds of frisking before being allowed inside and can enter only barefoot, without mobile phones or any personal belongings.

They are also screened at various security checkpoints inside the temple complex, whereas earlier trust-issued identity cards were sufficient for entry.

The sources said four personnel have been deployed exclusively to monitor the counting process. The trust is also preparing to introduce QR code-enabled identity cards with digital security features, a common uniform for all outsourced employees and a digital entry-exit tracking system to maintain a record of every employee's movement.

The alleged embezzlement of temple donations came to light earlier this month, following which an investigation was launched into the counting process. The case pertains to the alleged siphoning off of devotees' offerings before they were deposited in banks.

So far, eight people have been arrested in the case, all of whom were associated with the counting of temple donations. The accused include personnel engaged in the counting process and others responsible for handling the offerings.

The police investigation and the trust's internal review are continuing simultaneously, with the trust introducing stricter security measures and procedural changes to strengthen transparency and accountability in the handling of temple donations.