While the SIT's promptness and performance so far seems commendable, it also raises some questions.

Theft of offerings: Betrayal of faith in the homeland: The embezzlement and theft of offerings of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath by Ram devotees is not often speculated, but this unprecedented phenomenon has happened in Ayodhya and has happened on a very large scale. The FIR registered by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh Government and the arrest of the eight accused named in this FIR are clear proof of the above nefarious reality. All these accused are said to be volunteers or employees of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust. The SIT was constituted on June 13 on the basis of the complaint of Krishna Mohan, a member of the above trust. In this complaint, besides allegations of theft and fraud of crores of rupees in the offerings and funds of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha, allegations of manipulation of jewellery and other valuables offered as offerings by the devotees were also made. In view of the political controversy arising out of this complaint and the alleged cover-up of the matter by the trust, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had ordered the formation of an SIT 16 days ago and a thorough investigation into all the allegations. On the basis of the interim investigation report submitted by the SIT three days ago, the Ayodhya police registered an FIR. On the basis of this FIR, the SIT took eight suspected culprits into custody within 18 hours.

While the SIT's promptness and performance so far seems commendable, it also raises some questions. Krishan Roy's complaint had made serious allegations against two active members of the 15-member trust - Champat Roy and Anukalp Mishra, but the SIT's interim report is still silent on the role of these two members. It is possible that the allegations in the complaint are part of Chaudhary's fight, yet the SIT's silence on them certainly calls for clarification. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to expect that the full report of the SIT will definitely shed light on the role and accountability of the above two members.

Allegations of widespread theft of donations and misuse of funds have given ample spice to the opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh to organize a propaganda campaign against the Yogi Adityanath government. It is not unnatural that this has created a feeling of being trapped within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party cadre. Hardline Hindu organisations, especially the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, have demanded that all the trust members be held accountable and their role in the overall management of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha be assessed so far. The Vishwa Sindhi Seva Sangh, which had donated 200 silver bricks to the shrine on behalf of the Sindhi community, has expressed concern over the allegations that 60 kg of silver has gone missing from the shrine's treasury and has demanded that the trust clarify where the above bricks were used. However, this is not the first time that a case of tampering with the treasury of a religious shrine or misappropriation of funds has come to light. Tirupati Dham in Andhra Pradesh has been battling scandals from time to time despite its state-of-the-art administrative structure. Half a dozen incidents of gold disappearing from the 'sealed' vaults of ancient temples in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have come to light in the last decade. Since the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha has come into existence after decades of political-social struggle and a long legal battle, it is the duty of the trust to make the digital record of the donation amounts and valuables public on a daily basis and enable digital tracking of the funds used for the management or construction work of the shrine. Similarly, an impartial and independent auditing of the donations and expenditure received so far should also be started immediately. While the dignity and sanctity of the shrines and other religious places should be ensured at all times, betrayal of the faith of the devotees should not be tolerated.