Ayodhya Ram Mandir Donation Case: Attendant, Ex-Bank Staff Among 8 Held

When the row, the alleged siphoning off funds at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, first broke out earlier this month, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak called it a "false narrative". "Those trying to spread rumours about Shri Ram Temple are attempting to create a false narrative. The people of the state understand such politics," Brajesh Pathak said on June 8. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, an independent trust which manages the shrine, too denied any wrongdoing. Trust general secretary Champat Rai said representatives of the trust and the State Bank of India were involved in periodic audits and that nothing had come to light during the ongoing exercise.