4 min readJun 29, 2026 11:07 AM IST
First published on: Jun 26, 2026 at 01:07 PM IST
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said his government’s intention is clear in the Ram temple donation theft case. “Everything will become clear. But do not test Ram devotees, stop playing with their faith. If there are no facts or evidence, stop the accusations. If there is evidence, present it before the SIT,” he said.
The Ram Mandir theft case involves a major financial scandal regarding the alleged misappropriation of lakhs of rupees in cash and valuable offerings, like gold and silver, donated by devotees at the Ayodhya Ram temple.
Just months after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was set up, an audit of accounts revealed serious concerns over its functioning, describing the management as “highly unprofessional”. The audit also flagged the lack of a “systematic record” of donations.
Six years later, The Indian Express reported, the auditor’s key recommendations to introduce a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for streamlined administration remained unimplemented. The issue came into the limelight now amid allegations of misappropriation of donations. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitting its preliminary report to the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday.
Addressing a public meeting in UP’s Deoria, Yogi Adityanath further targeted the Opposition, saying: “One side used to say that lord Ram doesn’t even exist, meaning these people wanted to deny Ayodhya itself. They kept fighting the case in court continuously, kept fielding armies of lawyers against the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, and the other side is the one that would wield sticks and fire bullets at those chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’.”
Targeting the SP, Yogi Adityanath further said, “There is another side that used to open fire at those chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Those saying faith has been compromised used to commit riots during Ram Navami and Durga Puja, ban rituals and worship on Krishna Janmashthmi, and did not allow the Kanwar Yatra.”
On Thursday, an FIR was lodged at Kotwali Ramjanmabhoomi police station on a complaint by Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. This came two days after a Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the allegations, submitted its preliminary findings to the Uttar Pradesh government.
Later that night, the eight men named in the FIR were arrested. The eight men are: Avinash Shukla, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav and Subhash Srivastav. Most were involved in the donation counting work.
Yogi Adityanath targets Arvind Kejriwal
Yogi Adityanath also took aim at former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in Ayodhya. “A gentleman [Arvind Kejriwal] from Delhi is visiting [Ayodhya] today. I would like to tell him that the people of Delhi gave him opportunities for many years, but he gave nothing to Delhi except corruption… If the same justice that the double-engine BJP government did with Ayodhya is done by the Aam Aadmi Party with Delhi, then Delhi too would shine just like Ayodhya Dham is shining…”
Kejriwal visited the Ram temple on Friday morning and then went to offer prayers at the Hanumangarhi temple.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath said action will be taken against those responsible for the Ram Mandir thefts (PTI). 
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