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An X post, SIT, and finger-pointing—the Ayodhya Ram Temple donation case raises many questions

Nearly two-and-a-half years after its consecration ceremony, Ayodhya’s Ram Temple has returned to the spotlight, but for the wrong reasons.

“Ram is not a dispute, Ram is a solution.” These were the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address, delivered in Hindi, at the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on 22 January 2024. In the same speech, he also said that the grand temple would stand as a symbol of “Bharat’s” prosperity and development.

Nearly two-and-a-half years later, the Ram Temple has returned to the spotlight, but for the wrong reasons. Allegations of theft involving devotees’ donations, or chanda, have dominated headlines across both mainstream and social media.

Following a preliminary report submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the Uttar Pradesh government, the UP Police registered an FIR and arrested eight people in connection with the alleged misappropriation of temple donations. Top functionaries of the temple trust have weighed in on the controversy, with retired IAS officer and temple construction committee chief Nripendra Mishra saying that the alleged misappropriation in the donations has exposed serious lapses in supervision, accountability and compliance with established procedures.

And that is why the Ayodhya Ram Temple donation controversy is ThePrint Newsmaker of the Week

How the controversy started

It all began with a post on X by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who alleged that crores of rupees from donations made to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya had gone missing, triggering a political row.

In his post on 7 June, Yadav claimed that “crores of rupees in offerings” to the Ram Temple were unaccounted for, urging the courts to take suo motu cognisance of the matter. He said the issue was “directly linked to the deep faith in Lord Ram held by the entire Sanatan society across the world.”

The former UP CM also questioned the government’s “silence” over the allegations, describing it as........

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