When reports first surfaced that crores of rupees donated by devotees to the Ram Temple at Ayodhya had been syphoned off, many dismissed them as malicious rumours. Even when the alleged figure rose to Rs 200 crore, the initial response was disbelief. After all, few could imagine that money offered in the name of Lord Ram could become the target of systematic theft. The temple authorities, instead of welcoming scrutiny, chose to brush aside the allegations, insisting that everything was beyond reproach. That was indeed a grave mistake. The proper course would have been to register an FIR immediately and order a thorough police investigation. Transparency, not denial, should have been the first instinct of those entrusted with........

© Free Press Journal