Breaking its silence on the raging controversy over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple, the top leadership of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has strongly advocated immediate registration of an FIR and launch of a legal probe into the entire episode.
Alok Kumar, VHP international president, said in Delhi: “An FIR should be registered immediately to get to the bottom of this entire matter, and a regular police investigation is strictly required.”
He clarified that an internal inquiry alone will not suffice, and until the law takes its course, the truth will not come out.
The VHP’s stance comes a day after the Special Investigation Team, constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government on the recommendations of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, submitted its preliminary report, the contents of which have been kept confidential, to additional chief secretary (home) Sanjay Prasad.
Expressing deep anguish and anger over the incident, Alok Kumar said crores of Ram devotees had donated their hard earned money to Ram Lalla with immense faith.
“This entire episode has dealt a deep blow to the entire Hindu society and Hindu faith. As an organisation and as a Hindu, we feel deeply ashamed by it,” Kumar added amid reports of a five-day VHP meeting in Ayodhya being postponed.
Meanwhile, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust office in Ayodhya is receiving calls from devotees who have started asking about the silver and gold donations, including statues, they made for the Ram temple, according to people familiar with the matter.
Some donors have sought updates on how their contributions were used, but no one from the Trust is willing to comment on the queries.
The Vishwa Sindhi Seva Sangam (VSSS), a Mumbai-based organisation of the Sindhi community, demanded to know how the 200 silver bricks (each weighing one kg) it donated for the Ram temple were used.
In addition, Anita Bhardwaj, a devotee of Lord Ram, claimed she handed over a silver Kagbhusundi statue to Trust general secretary Champat Rai at Karsevakpuram in Ayodhya but did not receive a receipt. She now wants to know the statue’s status.
According to Hindu scriptures, Kagbhusundi, a revered sage and devotee of Lord Ram, is famous for appearing as a crow and possessing the power to transcend time.
For its part, the Vishwa Sindhi Seva Sangam claims it donated 200 silver bricks, each weighing one kg, to the Trust’s general secretary for the temple’s construction over five years ago.
Raju Manwani, international president of the VSSS, has questioned whether the silver bricks were used in the temple construction or diverted elsewhere.
In a video message, Manwani said his intent is not to directly accuse anyone, but he wants transparency for the donors.
“People certainly have the right to ask about the donations they made,” he added.
Manwani said that at the time of donation, the silver was worth ₹1.5 crore to ₹2 crore, which has now increased to ₹6 crore to ₹7 crore.
Vishva Prakash Tekchandani, the VSSS national vice-president, claimed he had organised the event at Karsevakpuram in Ayodhya where over 200 silver bricks were handed over to Champat Rai on behalf of the Sindhi community on January 26, 2021.
“On behalf of the VSSS, the event (donation ceremony of silver bricks) was planned by me after contacting Champat Rai. The ceremony was organised in a hall on the first floor of Karsevakpuram,” Tekchandani, an Ayodhya resident and a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, told HT over the phone.
“The VSSS donated 200 silver bricks of one kg each. They were stored in aluminum boxes. A proper ceremony was organised. But no receipt was given to us, nor did we demand one,” Tekchandani said.
Around 200 VSSS members led by Raju Manwani visited Ayodhya to donate the silver bricks.
“We were told (by Champat Rai) that VSSS would be informed where the silver bricks have been used in the Ram temple,” Tekchandani said.
“Now, after the donation-money controversy, the VSSS only wants to know where the silver bricks have been used in the Ram temple,” Tekchandani added.
“With this controversy, RSS workers and devotees of Lord Ram have been deeply hurt. We want stern action against all those involved in the scam,” he said.
For his part, Manwani demanded transparency in the matter and strict action if anyone is found guilty.
Another donor, Anurag Rastogi of Lucknow, who is the North India head of Indian Bullion and Jewellers Association, alleged that there was no trace of the 60 kg of silver which was donated by the association. The silver was collected from bullion traders all across the country.
The bricks were supposed to be used in the foundation of the temple. Rastogi said that though he was provided a receipt of the donation, he could not see the silver bricks during the ‘Neev Pujan’ of the Temple.
Anil Vishwakarma, a businessman originally from Jaunpur (UP) and currently residing in Mumbai, has claimed that he offered a silver garland weighing nearly 3 kg and a 1 kg charan paduka (footwear) to Lord Ram Lalla, but has not received a receipt for it till date.
After these allegations, Congress workers recently staged a protest at the Collectorate premises in Jaunpur, demanding an FIR and a probe into the assets of trust office-bearers.
No Trust office bearer was available for comment on these claims.
During the construction of the Ram temple, a large number of people and social organisations donated gold and silver to the Trust.
According to the Trust, it received around 944 kg of silver from devotees until March 2025, which is around 92% pure.
The Minting Corporation, a Government of India body, minted the silver into silver bricks, according to the Trust.
Rai gave this information at a media briefing after a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya on March 16, 2025.
