Ayodhya, July 1 (IANS) Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Seva Samiti general secretary Achyut Shankar Shukla on Wednesday sought the Central government’s intervention in the probe into the alleged misappropriation of funds and donations from the Ram Temple.

Referring to the Supreme Court direction to form the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, he said: “Accordingly, the Central government had formed the Trust. So now if the Centre itself conducts an investigation into the matter, then it would no longer remain a state subject.”

“Currently, since the matter is being looked into by the Uttar Pradesh Police, the state is doing whatever it can. But it would be good if the Centre is involved because the trust was formed by them,” he told IANS.

Mentioning that the Centre can hand over the probe to the CBI or ED if it wants to, Shukla said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the biggest devotee of Lord Ram; therefore, it is improper to raise questions over the faith of the Prime Minister and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.”

He maintained that a proper investigation is being conducted into the matter.

Responding to questions about whether the Trust should be monitored by bureaucracy rather than by saints, Shukla denied, saying, “It is a religious matter, and those in the knowledge of it should do it. It is the responsibility of our (Hindu) religious leaders to perform the worship of the Lord according to the scriptures and not of any bureaucracy.”

However, he said that the bureaucracy can look after the security of funds, arrangements for the devotees who come to offer prayers, etc.

Maintaining that those arrested in the case were employed by the Trust and carried identity cards as entry without those isn’t allowed given heavy security at the Ram Temple Trust premises, he said: “I don’t know if they were being ordered by somebody.”

Commenting on one of the accused, Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Shukla said: “Tinnu Yadav possessed a wireless and represented the Trust. Whenever our Samiti organised a religious function, we used to go to the Trust with a ‘kalash’. Along with police officials, Tinnu Yadav and another Trust member came to receive us on behalf of the organisation.”

“Only after he conveyed our arrival on the wireless were we allowed entry. He even used to direct the ‘pujari’. All this is visible in archival footage,” he added while maintaining that he does not have any knowledge about whose instructions the accused might have followed.

Moreover, Achyut Shankar Shukla said that the festivities could be successfully conducted with help from the police and the administration rather than by the Trust.

“It is not hidden that we never received the desired assistance from the Ram Mandir Trust,” he said.

Following the formation of the SIT panel to probe the alleged embezzlement, the police have arrested eight persons, namely Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav – all accused of conspiring to siphon off cash and valuables from the Ram temple’s donation.

–IANS

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