Ayodhya Ram Mandir
Lucknow: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations of embezzlement of donations received at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on Tuesday, June 23, submitted its preliminary inquiry report to the Uttar Pradesh government, officials said.
Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant submitted the preliminary report to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad.
They said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe is still underway, and further facts are being gathered.
The Uttar Pradesh government had on June 13 constituted the SIT on a request from the temple trust following allegations of misappropriation of donations received at the Ayodhya Ram temple.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had remained silent on the claims until, during a government event, he claimed that the SIT’s findings would separate falsehood from truth. “Doodh ka doodh, paani ka paani,” he said, urging the public to hand over any proof to the investigators.
“We have waited 500 years to reclaim the site of Lord Ram. We have waged this struggle for five centuries while remaining within the bounds of propriety. Just wait another 15 days. Be patient. Do not worry. However, we should not, under any circumstances, be misled by those who seek to defame Ayodhya or insult the Ram Janmabhoomi temple,” said Adityanath.
Later at another event, he went as far as to say that the allegations were part of a systematic conspiracy to damage India’s image, whenever the country achieves significant milestones.
“Whenever India has moved in a positive direction, be it in any era, conspirators have lost their sleep and immediately set about hatching plots in response. That very same conspiracy is underway once again in a systematic manner aimed at maligning Ayodhya Dham, casting aspersions on the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, and vilifying the entire tradition,” said Adityanath.
Meanwhile, SIT member Pant told PTI Videos that the team was trying to submit its final report within the next 10 to 15 days.
“Based on the information that has come to light so far and the facts available with us, we have submitted the first report today. This is only the preliminary report and the final report will be submitted after some time,” Pant said.
He said the report was confidential and he was not authorised to share details of the findings with the media at this stage.
Asked whether the team would return to Ayodhya for further investigation since the report submitted was only preliminary, Pant told PTI, “Of course, we will do that as per requirement.”
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had on June 7 cited reports claiming that crores of rupees from donations offered at the Ram Temple were missing and urged the courts to take cognisance of the matter.
Yadav had demanded daily briefings on the SIT investigation, alleging that public trust in the agency had been eroded due to what he described as “widespread corruption under the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government.”
Earlier, he had said, “The SIT should be careful not to steal the investigation report itself. Then they’ll ask you to wait another 15 days. They’re extending the time because they’re trying to dispose of evidence.”
“One more layer exposed… If the layers of the heinous sins of the BJP and their allies continue to be exposed like this, then instead of ‘investigation’, the work of ‘cover-up’ will start even faster,” Yadav wrote on X.
This post was last modified on June 23, 2026 4:33 pm