Ayodhya/Chitrakoot | Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday defended the Ram temple trust saying the SIT probing the alleged donation theft found evidence against only eight out of nearly 150 people engaged in counting offerings, even as police took three accused into custody for further interrogation.
A preliminary report of the three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) identified Avinash Shukla as the prime accused in the case, linking him to a suspected 40-day racket involving nearly 70 instances of pilferage from the donation-counting system, sources said on Wednesday.
Also, Gopal Nagarakatte alias Gopal Rao, who was removed as the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust's administrator and as a specially invited member of the Trust, vacated his accommodation in the temple complex and shifted to Karsevak Puram on Wednesday, temple sources said.
A series of meetings involving Trust's treasurer Govind Dev Giri took place in Ayodhya on Wednesday amid the ongoing SIT probe into the case, senior Trust officials said.
This followed the Trust's crucial meeting days ago, where the resignations of former general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra on moral grounds were accepted.
Trust sources said Giri visited Rai and discussed matters with him for nearly an hour at the Trust office.
Later in the day, a delegation of Ayodhya saints met Giri and discussed recent developments in the Trust, the ongoing SIT investigation and the future course of the temple administration, according to sources familiar with the meetings.
Giri also met Gopal Rao, who maintained that he remains associated with the Trust despite being asked to stay away from its proceedings for the time being.
Opposition parties intensified their attack on the government over the issue, with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav saying the alleged embezzlement of donations has "angered" the followers of Sanatan Dharma worldwide, and accused the BJP of tarnishing India's image abroad.
In Chitrakoot, Chief Minister Adityanath said the entire temple trust cannot be defamed for the wrongdoing of a "handful" of individuals.
He hit out at the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, alleging they were trying to malign Ayodhya and insult the legacy of Lord Ram over the case.
Defending the temple trust, Adityanath noted that the state government ordered the SIT probe at the recommendation of the Trust.
Addressing a gathering after dedicating projects worth over Rs 950 crore to the public in the holy town, the CM said the opposition parties had suddenly become active after the case surfaced because they had found "an issue" to target Ayodhya.
"You must have heard the recent reports. Congress and the Samajwadi Party suddenly became active. These are parties that have historically criticised Ayodhya, and they found an issue to exploit," he said.
The chief minister said the Trust itself informed the government that it had received inputs about alleged theft during the counting of donations and requested the constitution of a high-level SIT.
"We accepted the Trust's recommendation and constituted a high-level SIT. The investigation was conducted, and the evidence showed that only six people were found stealing.
"In addition, two other people were found to be part of the conspiracy, making a total of eight individuals. The SIT submitted its recommendations to the Trust, following which the Trust lodged a First Information Report (FIR), and action was taken."
The CM urged people to remain vigilant against what he described as attempts to undermine India's faith and religious heritage.
Meanwhile, a preliminary SIT report has identified Avinash Shukla as the prime accused in the alleged theft of devotees' offerings.
The interim findings of the SIT were discussed during a meeting of the temple trust on Monday, sources associated with the temple said.
According to the preliminary report, Shukla, who was engaged to count devotees' cash offerings at the temple, has been named accused No. 1 after investigators found what they described as the strongest evidence trail against him.
The nine-page report said the alleged operation revolved around Shukla, helping investigators identify five other accused and reconstruct the suspected modus operandi inside the temple's counting room.
The SIT has, prima facie, identified nearly 70 instances of alleged theft from the temple's counting room over a span of around 40 days, the sources added.
According to sources, repeated examination of CCTV camera footage allegedly showed Shukla removing and concealing bundles of donation cash and loose currency notes during counting operations on multiple occasions.
The footage also allegedly showed Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey assisting Shukla in concealing and removing donation money, while Manish Kumar Yadav was allegedly coordinating with him inside the counting room, according to the sources.
Separate footage provided by representatives of the temple trust allegedly showed Rama Shankar Mishra handling and concealing cash bundles, they added.
Shukla was also the first accused to be taken on police remand during the investigation.
Eight people have so far been arrested in connection with the case -- Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Rama Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu.
On Wednesday, three accused lodged in jail -- Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey -- were taken into custody by the police after a local court granted a 24-hour remand for further interrogation, official sources said.
The police remand commenced in accordance with the order passed by the Special Court (Anti-Corruption) on Tuesday.
The prosecution had sought the remand to confront the three accused with material and evidence gathered during the questioning of the other arrested persons in the case.
Avinash Shukla, whom the SIT has identified as the prime accused in the alleged racket, was the first accused to be taken on police remand earlier during the investigation.
Gopal Rao, who was removed as the Trust's administrator, vacated his accommodation in the temple complex and shifted to Karsevak Puram on Wednesday, temple sources said.
They said Rao surrendered the car pass issued to him for unrestricted entry into the temple complex.
He also met Trust's treasurer Govind Dev Giri at the Trust office during the day.
Rao had overseen construction work at the temple and was later associated with its management.
On Tuesday, the Trust said Champat Rai and Anil Mishra were no longer members after their resignations were accepted at the Trust's meeting on Monday.
Following the resignations of Rai and Mishra, Treasurer Govind Dev Giri confirmed that the Trust has also decided to remove Gopal Rao from the list of specially invited members.
