As the controversy surrounding the theft of donations at the Ram Temple heats up, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) chief clarified that the organisation played no role in the incident and was entirely unaware of it.
In an interview with the Hindustan Times, VHP chief Alok Kumar stated that the organisation would await the conclusion of the ongoing investigation before deciding on any action against one of its vice presidents, Champat Rai, who recently stepped down as the general secretary of the Ram Temple Trust following an SIT probe.
Kumar said that the construction of the temple and the running of it are not VHP's job but that of the temple trust. He also added that VHP did not nominate Rai to the general secretary post of the temple trust.
Champat Rai is the international vice president of the VHP.
On the questions regarding Rai's role in the whole incident, Kumar said that he may be "guilty of negligence".
"You want me to dismiss him today without the result of the investigation, but no one has accused Rai yet. The allegations are against his driver," he told HT.
Kumar also noted that Rai's driver, who has been arrested, allegedly has access to the temple's strong room keys and that cash had been recovered from him during the investigation.
The VHP has demanded a thorough investigation into the incident to identify everyone behind the theft. So far, eight accused in the case have been arrested, and the investigation team is probing further.
