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SIT report sparks row
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged embezzlement of offerings (chadhava) at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple found “No involvement of any sadhu or saint” in its initial report.
““No involvement of any sadhu or saint was found in the SIT's initial report”
Addressing reporters, Yogi Adityanath said, “No involvement of any sadhu or saint was found in the SIT's initial report in the case related to the alleged embezzlement of offerings (chadhava) at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.”
The remarks came as the controversy over alleged donation theft triggered protests inside Parliament, with the issue also raised in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly during the four-day Monsoon Session that began on Monday and would conclude on August 6.
Hindustan Times reported that Yogi Adityanath accused the Samajwadi Party and Congress of misleading people and of attempting to damage Uttar Pradesh's image while diverting attention from legislative business.
The same dispute was also framed as a political fight over whether the SIT report named any figures, with The New Indian Express reporting that BJP sought to distance itself from the row in the UP Assembly.
Opposition presses debate
Leader of the Opposition and Samajwadi Party MLA Mata Prasad Pandey demanded an immediate discussion on the alleged theft of Ram Temple donations before any other business of the House, telling ANI, “They will present the budget if they want to, but we will talk about Ram Mandir donations.”
Speaker Satish Mahana rejected the demand for an immediate discussion, saying there was no urgency warranting it, and the confrontation intensified when he ordered the removal of SP MLA Sachin Yadav from the House after Yadav allegedly tried to take a photograph of the CM from the Well.
In response to the opposition’s push to link the BJP to the controversy, Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Suresh Khanna said the SIT report had not named even a single BJP leader or worker as an accused, adding, “These people spread confusion,”.
Yogi Adityanath also accused the Samajwadi Party and the opposition of “undemocratic and unconstitutional” conduct, while Dimple Yadav said outside Parliament that the alleged theft had “played with the sentiments of the country.”
What’s at stake next
The dispute is tied to a fresh investigation process, with the Uttar Pradesh government informing the Supreme Court on July 27 that it had constituted a fresh Special Investigation Team headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kiran S to investigate the alleged embezzlement of donations made at Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
“constituted a fresh Special Investigation Team headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kiran S”
Hindustan Times said eight accused have been arrested so far, while investigators trace the complete money trail to identify additional assets and beneficiaries, and the controversy continued as the supplementary budget was presented amid the uproar.
In the UP Assembly, the government cited the pendency of a related matter before the Supreme Court to argue that a sub judice issue could not be discussed in the House, while Speaker Mahana and BJP leaders pressed that the SIT report did not name BJP workers or leaders.
AP7AM reported that Rajya Sabha was adjourned briefly amid chaos and protests from both the NDA and Opposition MPs, with opposition MPs also protesting “police excesses” against student protesters and asking why Union Home Minister Amit Shah is absent from Parliament.
Beyond the immediate political fight, El Mundo described the scandal as involving police investigations, several arrests, and “growing suspicions of cover-ups by authorities,” while linking the temple’s political and religious symbolism to the Modi government’s broader project in Ayodhya.