Ayodhya's Ram Temple has once again become the centre of national attention. Barely two years after its inauguration, allegations are surfacing that hundreds of crores of rupees collected in the name of the temple have been misappropriated, and that the alleged plunder is still continuing. Significantly, those accused are not foreign invaders such as Ghazni, Ghori or Babur. Rather, investigations suggest that the alleged wrongdoing has been carried out by individuals from within the temple establishment itself.

An FIR has been registered against eight persons accused of embezzling crores of rupees in donations made to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple. Those arrested have been identified as Ram Shankar Yadav, a close aide to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, along with Lav Kush Mishra, Anukal Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Manish Yadav, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Chandra Srivastava and Karunesh Pandey. The arrests followed the submission of a preliminary report by a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the Uttar Pradesh government. Further arrests in the case cannot be ruled out. Meanwhile, Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra have reportedly resigned from their positions.

Since its inauguration, the Ram Temple has remained the subject of controversy for one reason or another. Four prominent Shankaracharyas declined to participate in the consecration ceremony, objecting to the installation of the deity before the temple's construction had been completed. At the time, critics alleged that the Union government had hurried the inauguration with an eye on the elections. Religious leaders also expressed displeasure over Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the consecration ceremony. Local residents had initially raised concerns over alleged irregularities in the temple's construction, but those allegations were dismissed by the authorities. The latest allegations involving the alleged misappropriation of crores of rupees from within the temple have now shocked the nation. Devotees of Lord Ram across the country have reportedly been left embarrassed by accusations that individuals entrusted with the temple's management exploited the faith of worshippers. Organisations such as the RSS, which might otherwise be expected to speak out, have remained conspicuously silent. Instead of taking stringent action against the accused, the Uttar Pradesh government has countered by asking why alleged irregularities in donations collected for the Babri Masjid are not similarly questioned, thereby attempting to shift attention away from the allegations.

The issue was first raised by Samajwadi Party MLA Pawan Pandey, who alleged that nearly Rs 8 crore in donations had been siphoned off. The editorial argues that the government should have immediately ordered an investigation. Instead, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused critics of spreading misinformation about the Ram Temple, alleging that they could not tolerate the temple's very existence. Other opposition leaders later echoed the allegations. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, at a press conference, levelled serious accusations regarding other alleged irregularities connected to the temple. More importantly, several organisations that had made donations also began expressing concern.

The Sindhi community recently alleged that 200 silver bricks donated to the temple were unaccounted for. According to the claim, Castles Group of Companies, representing the Sindhi community, had donated 200 silver bricks weighing one kilogram each to then Trust General Secretary Champat Rai in 2021. No receipt was reportedly issued at the time of the donation, and no explanation has since been offered regarding the whereabouts of the silver bricks. Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has similarly questioned the fate of a four-kilogram silver brick donated by his party. Several donors are said to be reluctant to demand accountability regarding their contributions. Only after the matter reached the courts did the state government appoint an investigation team. The editorial contends that the subsequent registration of FIRs against only eight individuals appears to be an attempt to bring the matter to a premature close.

The allegations currently under investigation are described as only a small part of a much larger issue. Besides claims involving more than Rs 200 crore in cash, there are also allegations that gold, silver and diamond ornaments donated to the temple have gone missing. Additionally, allegations have emerged regarding large-scale irregularities in land transactions around the temple, involving crores of rupees. The editorial argues that a scam of such magnitude could not have been orchestrated by only a handful of trustees or temple officials. Given the temple's close political associations, it suggests there are grounds to suspect the involvement of influential political figures at both the state and central levels. Consequently, it calls for an independent investigating agency to conduct a comprehensive probe into all alleged irregularities from the time of the temple's inauguration.

The editorial further questions what became of the donations collected over the past five decades by the RSS and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the name of the Ram Temple movement, asking how much of those funds may also have been misappropriated. It concludes by lamenting that despite such serious allegations concerning Lord Ram's temple, Hindutva organisations across the country have remained silent. The editorial ends by asking whether Lord Ram was installed in Ayodhya merely to facilitate the alleged looting of hundreds of crores of rupees—a question, it says, that sincere devotees of Ram are now compelled to ask.