New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Spiritual leader Dhirendra Krishna Shastri on Friday condemned the embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, describing the alleged act as “not just a sin but a great sin,” while urging people to have faith in the ongoing investigation and the country’s legal system.

Speaking after arriving at Ayodhya airport, Shastri said, “I have already spoken about this earlier as well, and I have said before that this is not a sin but a great sin, and God will punish it. But I would also like to say that we should all have trust in the law and order of the country and in the SIT, as the investigation is ongoing. I have full faith in the country’s legal system and the government, and all the accused will be punished…”

Shastri arrived in Ayodhya to visit the ashram of Mahant Sant Ram Das, the guru of Hanumangarhi priest Raju Das Ji, who recently passed away. After paying his respects, he is scheduled to depart from the Ayodhya airport later in the day.

His remarks come amid an ongoing controversy over the misappropriation of donations and offerings at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

Earlier, the Trust’s Office In-charge Prakash Gupta had alleged that the irregularities were linked to workers engaged by the State Bank of India (SBI) for counting offerings at the temple under an agreement between the bank and the Trust.

Speaking on the issue, Gupta had said that the SBI was responsible for the counting process and had deployed personnel for the task. He maintained that while a member of the Trust supervised the counting, there was no knowledge of the alleged theft at the time.

Gupta asserted that the Trust had no role in the alleged embezzlement, saying the workers brought by SBI for counting donations may have been involved in the misappropriation. He also noted that anyone could level allegations against the Trust, but insisted that the responsibility for the counting process rested with the bank under the existing arrangement.

The controversy deepened after eight individuals were arrested in connection with the alleged embezzlement. According to Gupta, the accused were associated with the counting process, while one of them, identified as Tinnu Yadav, was responsible for overseeing the counting operations and certain maintenance activities within the temple premises.

The allegations have sparked widespread public and political attention, with several leaders and religious figures calling for transparency and accountability.

–IANS

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