"If There Was A Muslim In Trust": Asaduddin Owaisi's Taunt In Ram Mandir Donation Case

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi has targeted the Yogi Adityanath government over the Ram Mandir donation theft case. Addressing a rally in Western Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor on Monday, the Hyderabad MP sarcastically said that if there had been a Muslim in the Ram Mandir trust, the government would have shot him in an encounter and bulldozed his house by now.

Questioning the "delayed" action, Owaisi alleged that the police are not even seeking custody of the high-profile accused in the case.

"They should have kept a Muslim in the trust and closed the case with his encounter and by bulldozing his house. But currently the accused are enjoying," Owaisi said to loud applause from the participants.

"Champat is enjoying," Owaisi remarked, referring to the Temple Trust general secretary, who has resigned after the donation theft case came to light.

A few days ago, too, Owaisi had questioned the UP government, asking whether a bullet would be fired or a bulldozer would run over the houses of the accused, as happens with Muslims in the state.

The case of theft of Ram Mandir donations has shocked the country and triggered a major political row, with the Opposition parties attacking the Yogi Adityanath government.

What started as questions raised in public by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has since led to a state-backed Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry, searches at residences, the recovery of unaccounted cash, and the questioning of temple staff and bank officials.

The controversy has drawn sharp reactions from across the political spectrum and prompted calls for a thorough overhaul of the temple's management systems.

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai has stepped down on moral grounds, and trustee Anil Mishra has also submitted his resignation.

On June 25, the first FIR in the case was registered on the complaint of Krishna Mohan, a member of the trust. The FIR named eight individuals: Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ram Shankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu. They are all donation counting staff at the Ram Mandir and have been arrested. Several unidentified persons were also mentioned.

On June 26, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the state government would adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards anyone seeking to undermine public trust.

Though the exact stolen amount is not known yet, it is estimated that Rs 7-7.5 crore in cash was missing from the temple books. So far, the police have recovered nearly Rs 80 lakh from the accused.