The investigation into the alleged Ram Temple donation irregularities in Ayodhya has taken a significant turn after it emerged that six of the eight people arrested were employed by a Varanasi-based security agency that supplied manpower for the temple’s cash-counting operations.
The agency, Sainik Security Services, was engaged by the State Bank of India (SBI) Naya Ghat Branch in Ayodhya to provide personnel for counting donations deposited at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple. According to the agency’s director, the local SBI branch recommended 19 individuals for deployment in the cash-counting process.
Security agency says SBI branch selected the personnel
Gaurav Singh, owner and director of Sainik Security Services, said the agency acted only on the request of the SBI branch and had no direct agreement with the temple trust.
He explained that the bank branch asked the agency to recruit and deploy 19 individuals who had previously worked in similar roles. According to Singh, each employee received a monthly salary of around ₹20,000.
He also clarified that the temple trust was not the agency’s client.
“The temple is not our client. SBI is our client. We only supplied the manpower requested by the bank,” Singh said.
SBI says it is cooperating with the investigation
The State Bank of India said it is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation being conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The bank stated that it has been providing banking services to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust since the temple’s Pran Pratishtha ceremony in January 2024 and has extended complete support to investigators.
Meanwhile, a senior SBI official indicated that appointments for such assignments are generally handled through centralized processes, making the current arrangement unusual.
Who are the accused?
According to investigators, the eight people arrested so far are:
- Anukalp Mishra
- Lavkush Mishra
- Ram Shankar Yadav (Tinnu)
- Manish Yadav
- Subhash Srivastava
- Avinash Shukla
- Rama Shankar Mishra
- Karunesh Pandey
Officials said six of them were employed through the Varanasi-based security agency, while one individual was reportedly paid directly by the temple trust and another was a former bank employee.
Police have also recovered ₹79.85 lakh in cash during searches conducted as part of the investigation.
How the controversy began
The controversy first surfaced on June 7, when Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan ‘Pawan’ Pandey alleged that donations worth ₹5 crore to ₹7.5 crore had been diverted from the Ram Temple donation collections.
Following the allegations, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 after a request from the temple trust.
The SIT’s preliminary inquiry reportedly found indications of irregularities in the collection and counting of devotees’ offerings. Investigators have alleged that part of the cash donations may have been diverted before being deposited into the designated bank account.
These findings led to the arrest of eight individuals on June 26.
Investigation continues
Police have registered an FIR under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Corruption Act, including charges related to criminal breach of trust, cheating, theft and criminal conspiracy.
Investigators are continuing to examine the role of all individuals involved in the donation collection and cash-counting process. The allegations remain under investigation, and no court has determined the guilt or innocence of the accused.
