The trust running a controversial Hindu temple in the northern Indian city of Ayodhya has announced a leadership overhaul amid an ongoing investigation into the alleged embezzlement of tens of millions of rupees in donations.
The trust of the temple dedicated to the god-king Ram announced on Monday that it had accepted the resignations of general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra.
Police last month arrested eight people over allegations of embezzling donations at the temple, which was consecrated in a grand ceremony by prime minister Narendra Modi in 2024 and quickly became a major Hindu pilgrimage centre.
The temple was erected on the site of the Babri Masjid, a medieval mosque torn down by a Hindu mob in 1992, triggering nationwide sectarian riots that killed 2,000 people, mainly Muslims.
After decades of legal contests, the Supreme Court awarded the site to Hindu groups in 2019 to build the Ram Temple. The construction of the temple fulfilled a longstanding demand of India’s Hindu nationalist ecosystem, led by the RSS, the ideological parent of Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
The temple is managed by an independent trust and primarily funded by donations.
The temple trust said in a statement on Monday that “general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra resigned on moral grounds” following the submission of an investigation report.
“The trust decided to remove Gopal Nagarkote from the list of special invitee members,” it added in a statement.
The trust’s treasurer, Swami Govind Dev Giri, named retired forest officer and RSS member Krishna Mohan as interim general secretary and announced that a new chief executive officer post had been created, with a three-member panel tasked with recommending candidates for the role.
A Hindu flag flutters in the wind atop the Ram temple in Ayodhya (AFP/Getty)
Allegations of embezzlement surfaced after Mahipal Singh, former supervisor of the trust’s accounting team, publicly called out irregularities. Additional pressure from Mr Modi’s political opponents in Uttar Pradesh, where the temple is located, forced the state’s BJP government to order an investigation.
The government appointed a special investigation team, which submitted a report into the alleged misappropriation of donations, prompting police to register a criminal case and arrest eight people, including staff responsible for collecting, counting and transporting donated money.
While the report is yet to be made public, local media outlets, citing people aware of the contents, say it flags lapses, inadequate supervision, and negligence in counting and managing cash and valuables given to the temple. It reportedly also recommends structural changes to the donation management system to strengthen fiscal accountability.
The government last week said the investigation was still underway and that a final report would be released in 15 days.
The main opposition Congress party previously alleged that cash and jewellery offered by devotees had been systematically siphoned off by temple staffers under the trust’s watch. The party also claimed that almost Rs 50bn ($400m) had been “misused” in the construction of the temple complex.
Regional opposition leader Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP government of handling the case in a “suspicious” manner.
“The government is arresting the counting staff while shielding the big fish who orchestrated the structural rot,” Mr Yadav, leader of the Samajwadi Party, said.
Meanwhile, Mr Giri on Tuesday claimed the managing body was currently in possession of over 30kg of “gold-like items” and 1,518kg of “silver-like items” among other valuable donations. All 2,926 valuable articles donated to the temple were “safe” and recorded, he added.
