Varanasi: The alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has intensified a political row in India, with opposition parties continuing to target the BJP government. Amid the controversy, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday granted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) an additional 15 days to complete its probe and submit its report.
"Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has extended the deadline until July 15 for the SIT probing the donation-related case in Ayodhya. The SIT had sought additional time to conduct a comprehensive examination of various aspects of the case. Accepting the request, the Chief Minister directed the SIT to submit its report by July 15," an official statement said.
Meanwhile, a private security agency whose recruits were deployed at the cash-handling unit linked to the Ram Temple's donation management denied any involvement in the alleged theft, days after the SIT arrested six of its recruits in connection with the case.
Agency claims it recruited staff at the SBI manager's request
Gaurav Singh, director of Sainik Security Services, told PTI on Wednesday that the company had recruited 22 personnel and deployed them at the State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Ayodhya for housekeeping duties at the bank's request. He said the agency had no role in assigning responsibilities after deployment.
"Our company has nothing to do with the alleged donation theft at the Ram Temple. We recruited 22 people and sent them to the SBI branch in Ayodhya for housekeeping work. What work the bank assigned to them thereafter is not known to us," Singh said.
He claimed that all 22 personnel were recruited on the instructions of the chief manager of the SBI's Ayodhya branch.
"The chief manager of the SBI branch in Ayodhya had sent us the list of names and biodata of these 22 people. They had all previously been working with another agency," Singh said.
He further stated that his company does not undertake contracts for temples and had only supplied manpower to the SBI branch.
"We were engaged only to provide housekeeping staff to the SBI branch in Ayodhya. What duties these employees eventually performed and why they performed them is for the bank to explain," he said.
Singh added that the SIT was investigating the matter and that the agency had provided all the information sought by investigators.
SBI says temple trust blocked intervention to change cash-counting staff
His statement assumes significance because sources in the SBI had earlier told PTI that the bank had sought to replace the outsourced cash-counting staff at the Ram Temple nearly three months ago, after suspecting irregularities in the handling of donations. However, they alleged that members of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust did not allow the staff to be replaced.
The alleged embezzlement came to light after the SIT, constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government, submitted its preliminary findings, following which an FIR was registered on June 25.
Eight accused have since been arrested, and police said nearly ₹80 lakh in cash, along with some foreign currency, has been recovered from six of them so far.