By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The Ram Temple Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and his associate Anil Mishra on Friday quit even as eight people were arrested in connection with the alleged embezzlement of cash and valuables donated by devotees in Ayodhya, marking a major breakthrough in the high-profile investigations.
The move came after Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath intervened in the matter and decided to take strong action in the alleged embezzlement which has rattled the ruling BJP.
The case was registered on Thursday at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station following a complaint filed by Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple. The FIR was lodged after a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted its preliminary findings to the Uttar Pradesh government earlier this week.
According to police, six of the arrested individuals were temple employees responsible for counting and handling donations, while the remaining two were associates. Investigators suspect that cash and valuables offered by devotees were systematically siphoned off over a period of time. CCTV footage reportedly captured some of the accused allegedly misappropriating temple donations, providing key evidence in the case.
The eight accused have been identified as Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Manish Yadav, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Chandra Srivastava and Karunesh Pandey. Police said they are being questioned to determine the extent of the alleged embezzlement and whether other individuals were involved.
Authorities are also examining financial records, donation registers and CCTV footage as part of the ongoing investigation. Officials indicated that the probe could widen if fresh evidence emerges regarding the handling of temple offerings.
The alleged irregularities have triggered widespread concern over transparency in the management of donations at one of India’s most visited religious sites. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has said it initiated the complaint after receiving inputs from the SIT and has pledged full cooperation with the investigation