In the ongoing investigation into the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Mandir, the Ayodhya police have accelerated their procedural actions. On Tuesday morning at 7:00 AM, police officials arrived at the district jail to take custody of three suspects: Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, and Karunesh Pandey. Following a formal request for remand submitted by investigator Ashutosh Tiwari, the court granted a 40-hour police custody period for the trio. Previously, the police had questioned Avinash Shukla during a 13-hour remand session, which reportedly yielded several significant leads that the authorities are now building upon through further interrogation of these three suspects.
Trust Officials Meet Behind Closed Doors
Amidst these developments, the treasurer of the Ram Mandir Trust, Govind Devgiri, met with former general secretary Champat Rai. The meeting took place behind closed doors at the Teerth Kshetra Bhavan. This encounter marks the first direct meeting between the two since the recent developments regarding Champat Rai's health and his official status. Champat Rai recently released a formal letter to Ram devotees, stating that he would address all queries only after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) completes its inquiry. It is noteworthy that Champat Rai was kept away from the trust meeting held on July 6 and did not participate in its proceedings.
Political Confrontations Intensify
The incident has triggered a sharp war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party. Rajasthan BJP President Madan Rathore criticized Congress, asserting that those who opposed the construction of the temple have no moral authority to question its management now. Rathore reiterated that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has fully guaranteed the security of all temple assets and devotee offerings, having already made the complete details of these assets public.
Legal Notices Filed Over Social Media Posts
Simultaneously, the Samajwadi Party has taken legal action against BJP Lok Sabha member Nishikant Dubey. The party issued a legal notice to the MP regarding social media posts that linked SP President Akhilesh Yadav to one of the eight arrested suspects, Ramshankar alias Tinnu Yadav. Krishna Kanhaiya Pal, president of the Samajwadi Advocate Sabha, stated that the five-page notice accuses Nishikant Dubey of defamation, character assassination, and publishing malicious content. The document alleges that the content shared by Dubey was intended to incite hatred against the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav, describing the act as being akin to sedition.
