Ayodhya, July 5 (IANS) Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri, facing flak over the donation theft controversy, clarified on Sunday that he was hurt, saddened and ashamed over the incident and was never involved in the cash counting process.

Breaking his silence on the controversy getting murkier by each day, the Temple Treasurer said that he resides in Pune, remains on the move for religious discourses and visits Ayodhya only once a month.

“I did not take a single rupee from the Trust,” claimed Govind Dev Giri in a detailed two-page statement, even as calls to bring his role under scrutiny only get louder and shriller than before.

He supported calls for a thorough and impartial investigation into the matter, while terming the alleged embezzlement at the temple as “unbelievable and deeply hurtful” for the devotees.

He stated that the entire details of the theft – stolen cash and offerings, the timings as well as the modus operandi are all under investigation.

“This grave transgression must be investigated thoroughly and impartially. We must place our trust in the investigating agency; the courts will perform their duty. We have faith in the SIT and the police. The guilty will not escape,” he stated.

Lending support to calls for stringent action against cheaters, Govind Dev Giri said that he stands with the truth and wants to uphold propriety at all costs.

“No matter how powerful the offender may be, they must face strict punishment from the court, regardless of their name or position,” he said while urging police and investigating agency to bring all those accused to justice.

He also called for building an impregnable system to uphold the trust of devotees and ensure the highest standards of vigilance in future.

“A management system should be established, based on expert advice, that ensures infallible oversight and complete transparency in counting the funds received as offerings. We must ensure an exact accounting of every single penny donated by the devotees of Lord Shri Ram,” he said in the letter.

–IANS

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