Congress Questions SIT Scope in Ram Mandir Offering Theft Probe
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh questioned the SIT probe into the alleged theft of offerings at the Ram Mandir, flagging delays and the exclusion of senior functionaries as accused.
The Congress on Saturday raised questions about the scope of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry into the alleged theft of devotees' offerings at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, asking why those responsible for running the temple had not been named as accused.
Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh also pressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on the matter, saying his silence was notable.
At the centre of the Congress's objections is the timeline of the case. The party's communications chief pointed to a 21-day gap between the reported recovery of ₹2.25 lakh from a bathroom on June 4, 2026, and the filing of a First Information Report on June 25. Mr. Ramesh sought an impartial investigation supervised by the Supreme Court.
In a post on X, Mr. Ramesh said the chargesheet recorded that a video of the cash recovery was sent to Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, on June 4, and that he was shown CCTV footage the next day. He asked why criminal proceedings were not initiated sooner if the footage, the recovery and the identification of suspicious employees were already known.
Mr. Ramesh further questioned why Mr. Rai, trustee Anil Mishra and construction in-charge Gopal Rao had been treated as witnesses rather than accused. He said the chargesheet documents 105 instances of offerings being removed during the counting process, with one accused allegedly seen taking money on 85 occasions.
"Can the full truth of the offering theft come out without investigating the role of those responsible for overseeing and managing the system?" he asked.
The Congress leader also questioned limiting the case to eight accused even though the SIT examined CCTV footage, digital communications and financial records. He asked whether the team had fixed accountability for the entire system or confined the matter to minor players.
Since the alleged theft involved offerings made by devotees, Mr. Ramesh said, the investigation should establish responsibility beyond those directly accused of removing the cash. He also asked whether possible links to the senior leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had been examined.
"The case cannot be considered closed until the real responsibility for the theft of offerings made in the name of Lord Ram is fixed," he said, reiterating the demand for a transparent probe under the Supreme Court's supervision.