Money for Ram Temple recruitment? Former trust member Anil Mishra under scrutiny

Former member of the Ram Temple trust, Anil Mishra, has found himself at the centre stage of the ongoing probe into the theft of the Uttar Pradesh-baed Hindu shrine’s donations, which is intensifying. Allegations have surfaced that Anil accepted commissions for facilitating recruitments at the temple.

As the police interrogated the men arrested in connection with the explosive case in the Ayodhya-based temple, Mishra’s name has come up as one of the key figures in the scandal, NDTV reported. He stepped down from his post along with the trust’s general secretary, Champat Rai, after the controversy erupted, reportedly on moral grounds.

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Both Anil and Champat have been questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the incident.

The news outlet cited sources as saying that the former trust member’s name appeared repeatedly during the police questioning of Avinash Shukla, one of the eight accused in the case, on Tuesday (June 30).

Anil Mishra made job recommendations at temple?

According to the report, the investigation has revealed that a majority of the workers at the temple were appointed on the recommendation of Anil. According to sources, at least 125 personnel at the temple secured positions through his backing, with some being his own relatives.

The investigators are examining whether the former trust member took money for jobs.

The SIT is also looking into Anil’s assets that were acquired as a member of the trustee. Several properties registered in Anil’s name were reportedly found during the investigation.

The involvement of the accused Anukalp Mishra and Lav Kush Mishra, both under arrest now, is also said to be considerable. The duo is reportedly connected to Anil.

The accused, including Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu, a former driver of Champat who reportedly held a key to the donation-counting room, told the investigators that they got a free hand, thanks to the fact that they were close to Anil, the NDTV report said. He was allegedly involved in the counting of the donation funds, with nobody to ask him and the other accused about their activities.

Also read: Ayodhya Ram temple theft probe turns spotlight on Mishra family’s ‘wealth surge’

The initial findings of the probe revealed that the gang followed a pattern to allegedly remove the money. They blocked the CCTVs and hid the money in washrooms before taking it out at their convenience.

Besides Avinash, Anukalp, Luvkush and Tinnu Yadav, the other arrested are Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramshankar Mishra and Subhas Srivastava. While Rs 80 lakh in cash and some foreign currencies were recovered from six of the eight accused, opposition parties such as the Aam Aadmi Party said the actual amount stolen could be more than Rs 200 crore.

The probe found that several norms were flouted when it came to security of the donation money in the temple, which saw a grand inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22, 2024.

Money kept in washroom, removed later

Avinash also revealed how the money was removed during the interrogation. According to India Today, he told the police that the funds were kept in washrooms temporarily before being transferred. He also told the police how the detection of any foul play was avoided.

The accused told the police that Tinnu had one of the keys to the room where the donation amounts were connected, while another key was with bank employees. According to Avinash, the money was siphoned off with several people at play.

Avinash told the police that they escaped close monitoring since they were close to the trust, and the stolen money was allegedly used for buying land and properties. The police are now looking for financial transactions and properties linked to the accused. They were also trying to understand how the operation continued without anybody detecting it and whether there were more people involved in the scandal.

Most theft happened during Kumbh 2025: Probe

In another significant disclosure in the donation theft case, the investigation has revealed that the largest theft at the temple occurred during the Kumbh Mela in early 2025, NDTV reported.

Also read: Blame politics, not the system, for Ayodhya temple donation theft

Police said that a few of the eight arrested accused had been engaged in minor thefts even prior to the Kumbh. However, the Kumbh period saw a sharp rise in offerings and donations at the temple, and the accused exploited this opportunity, conspiring together to commit a large-scale theft, the police added.

SIT tenure extended

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has given a 15-day extension to the SIT, officials said on Wednesday (July 1).

The body’s tenure has been extended to probe the matter deeply and broadly, they said.

The three-member SIT was constituted on June 13 to probe the allegations and was initially given 15 days to probe the allegations.

Following the submission of the preliminary SIT report on June 23, an FIR was registered on June 25, and the accused were arrested.

The SIT comprises Vijay Vishwas Pant, IAS, Divisional Commissioner, Lucknow; Kiran S, IPS, Inspector General of Police; and Neel Ratan, Special Secretary, Finance Department.

Opposition targets UP govt, Adityanath hits back

The political row continued over the scandal. On Tuesday, UP Congress chief Ajay Rai offered prayers at the temple after the administration allowed him to leave a guest house after nearly 24 hours, and alleged the probe was not impartial.

After visiting Hanumangarhi and the temple, Rai, who had alleged that he was put under “house arrest”, said, “An impartial investigation is not happening. The functionaries of the Ram temple must be investigated.”

He also demanded that the temple trust be dissolved and that Shankaracharyas, seers and Ayodhya residents get a place in it.

The Congress on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the BJP-RSS machinery of protecting those involved in the alleged embezzlement in Ram Temple donations and demanded that the SIT report be made public.

Also read: Will Ayodhya Ram temple donation row impact 2027 UP Assembly elections?

The Aam Aadmi Party is “true Sanatani” and has worked with genuine devotion towards its values, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday, while alleging that the BJP used Lord Ram’s name for political gains.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who will face Assembly elections early next year, continued to hit back at the opposition over the issue. On Tuesday, addressing a public meeting in Rampur, he targeted the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) over the controversy, accusing them of hypocrisy over their “newfound” support for Lord Ram.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav raised concerns over the episode on June 7, after a whistleblower spoke about it, making it into a major political controversy ahead of the polls.

(With agency inputs)