By The Wire Staff

New Delhi: Adding fuel to the controversy surrounding Ayodhya’s Ram temple, Dharm Sena Bharat head and former Kar Sevak Santosh Dubey on Tuesday (June 16) filed a complaint against members of the temple trust, alleging embezzlement of funds to the tune of Rs 200 crore. 

In his complaint, Dubey, who was the main accused along with veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani in the Babri Masjid demolition case, alleged that donations up to Rs 1 crore a day were being given at the temple by devotees in the form of gold and silver ornaments. 

“The applicant frequently visits the Ram Janmabhoomi temple for darshan and has often seen devotees placing gold and silver ornaments, gold and silver coins, and cash donations into the donation boxes. It is estimated that donations worth more than Rs 1 crore per day in cash, coins, and ornaments are being deposited by devotees into these donation boxes,” his complaint, originally submitted in Hindi, said. 

The responsibility for preserving and safeguarding these donations rests with the trustees of the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, Dubey said, alleging that they had siphoned off the money instead. Dubey has named General Secretary Champat Rai Bansal along with other employees in his complaint.

“The applicant alleges that, primarily through collusion with trust officials and employees, including General Secretary Champat Rai Bansal, Anil Mishra, Gopal Rao, and Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu (who is stated to be a driver of trustee Champat Rai Bansal), a large amount of money, gold and silver ornaments, and coins have been siphoned off from the donation boxes. The amount involved is alleged to exceed Rs 200 crore,” he claimed.

Dubey also accused the trust officials of forging entries in account books, fabricating figures and embezzling temple funds. 

“Through various media reports, it has also come to light that jewel-studded ornaments and crores of rupees received by the temple as donations were misappropriated and sold. Some of these items, according to the complaint, have been recovered from petty thieves,” he alleged.

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