A preliminary report by the Uttar Pradesh government’s SIT into alleged theft and misappropriation of donations linked to the Ram temple raises questions about internal oversight in the Ram Mandir trust. Multiple outlets report that the report points to former trust trustee Anil Mishra’s role, describing alleged failures that, according to the investigation, helped suspects pilfer funds. Times of India says the report cites CCTV footage and identifies nearly 70 alleged instances of pilferage, while also highlighting lapses by Subhash Srivastava, the counting room in charge. The report names six suspects said to be involved in theft or misappropriation offences.
News18 reports that accused persons—including Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey—are taken into custody for questioning after court remand. It also reports that the trust treasurer gives a rough estimate of around Rs 3 crore in the alleged donation theft, and states there was no attempt to influence the investigation.
Scroll.in notes that the preliminary SIT report focuses on the role of Anil Mishra but does not recommend immediate action against him. The Supreme Court is also reported to have sought a report from the UP government SIT and the temple trust.
