BIJNOR, UTTAR PRADESH — The multi-crore cash theft scandal at the Ram Mandir has escalated into a major political confrontation. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi has launched a fierce attack against the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government over its handling of the high-profile investigation.
Speaking at a rally in Bijnor, Western Uttar Pradesh, the Hyderabad MP accused the state administration of structural bias and selective law enforcement, contrasting the current pace of the probe with the state’s signature use of immediate property demolitions and encounters against minority suspects.
The Accusation of Conditional Justice
Owaisi targeted the state’s security apparatus for not seeking aggressive police custody of the primary suspects involved in the internal accounting fraud.
“If there had been a Muslim in the Ram Mandir trust, the government would have shot him in an encounter and bulldozed his house by now. But currently, the accused are enjoying.” — Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM Chief
The MP pointedly noted that while the state frequently deploys “bulldozer justice” in other criminal matters, the individuals implicated in diverting sacred offerings have faced a much more standard, deliberate legal process. He took a direct swipe at former Temple Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, noting that the leadership is stepping down quietly rather than facing severe administrative crackdowns.
Forensic Audit: Missing Millions and Cash Recoveries
The financial controversy has triggered an intense national political row, following initial public disclosures by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. To contain the damage, the UP government deployed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to audit the temple’s internal donation channels, exposing a significant deficit in physical cash balances.
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The Missing Ledger Balance: Financial forensic teams estimate that between ₹7 crore and ₹7.5 crore in physical cash donations has vanished from the official temple books.
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The Arrests and Recoveries: Acting on a formal complaint by trust member Krishna Mohan, police arrested eight core donation-counting staff members—including Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, and Lavkush Mishra. Thus far, investigators have recovered nearly ₹80 lakh in cash from the suspects.
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Trust Resignations: Acknowledging the administrative failure, General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra have both resigned from their leadership roles on moral grounds.
With the opposition intensifying its demands for a complete overhaul of the temple’s multi-tier management systems, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has publicly promised a “zero-tolerance approach,” stating that anyone seeking to compromise public and religious institutional trust will face strict accountability.
