The alleged siphoning of money from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has ignited a fresh political storm. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi have sent a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pressing him to order an independent and comprehensive audit of the Trust's finances. Their central argument is that the lakhs of devotees who parted with their hard-earned money out of faith and devotion now feel betrayed by the theft.
Kharge put out the joint letter on X on Sunday, describing it as a direct demand to the Prime Minister for a thorough and impartial inquiry into how the Trust has handled its money.
What the letter says
Dated July 18, the letter from the two Congress leaders alleges that the theft of thousands of crores from the Trust is something the Prime Minister is already aware of. They point out that the Trust's creation was announced in Parliament on the directions of the Supreme Court, yet its members were appointed entirely by the government. The letter goes on to claim that these members are linked to the RSS, the VHP and their affiliates, and that the Trust's disgraced former General Secretary was a close associate of the Prime Minister.
The two leaders sharpened their attack on the Prime Minister's refusal to speak up. As the letter puts it,
"Your silence now in the face of such a crime is unacceptable."They argue it is the government's duty to fix accountability and ensure the lost offerings are recovered.
A call to make the accounts public
Kharge and Rahul Gandhi asked that every offering made to the Trust be scrutinised, cash as well as gold and silver. They want the findings and the Trust's accounts opened to the public so that each devotee can see exactly how their contribution was used. Anyone found responsible, the leaders insist, must face action regardless of rank or clout. According to the letter, the credibility of both the government and the Trust hinges on how transparently and quickly it moves, and the people of India are watching closely.
What the SIT probe has found
Meanwhile, a Special Investigation Team is examining the Ram Mandir donation theft case. Its preliminary work indicates that around 70 suspicious incidents were captured on CCTV between April 27 and June 5. In the footage, counting staff were seen tucking away wads of cash.
The early report highlights a string of failures that made the crime possible. There was no frisking at the entry and exit points, personal belongings were poorly monitored, and cash from several donation boxes was counted together rather than separately.
According to the report, roughly Rs 78.94 lakh had already been recovered from some employees even before the investigation formally began. A further Rs 2.25 lakh was allegedly found on June 4, 2026, in the bathroom attached to the counting room. The report also makes clear that no prima facie evidence backed the social media claims about missing silver bricks or other valuable offerings going astray. So far, eight people have been arrested in the case.
All of this is unfolding at a moment when the alleged embezzlement has stirred a heated political row in Uttar Pradesh, with the SIT's inquiry into the irregularities still ongoing.
