Investigators probing the alleged embezzlement of donations to the Ayodhya Ram Temple are now examining the recruitment of employees at the shrine after allegations that a former trustee took commissions for facilitating appointments.
Anil Mishra, who resigned from the Ram Mandir Trust following allegations of irregularities in donation funds, is reportedly under police radar after his name surfaced multiple times during the interrogation of one of the accused.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is examining the allegations that at least 125 employees at the temple were appointed on Mishra’s recommendations, and that he received commissions from some of the candidates. Many of those recruited through his recommendations are also said to be his relatives.
The SIT is also examining Mishra’s assets during his tenure as a trustee, after multiple properties registered in his name were reportedly uncovered during the probe.
There were also reports that Anukalp Mishra and Lav Kush Mishra, two of the eight arrested accused, had built mansions worth several lakh rupees despite having modest incomes. Both are reportedly relatives of Anil Mishra.
Anil Mishra resigned from the Ram Mandir Trust along with general secretary Champat Rai after the donation scam snowballed into a major political controversy in Uttar Pradesh.
The controversy first erupted on June 7 after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple. The trust denied the allegations, stating that “nothing noteworthy” had emerged from an internal audit of the donation management system.
Subsequently, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13. Its preliminary findings are believed to have revealed widespread violations of standard operating procedures governing the handling and counting of temple donations.
Based on the SIT report, an FIR was registered on June 25, and eight people associated with the temple’s donation-counting process were arrested. Police said they recovered nearly ₹80 lakh in cash, along with some foreign currency, from six of the accused so far.
