Mahant Dharam Das of the Nirvani Akhada in Ayodhya has filed a police complaint against members of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and a BJP MLA, alleging fraud in the purchase of government land.
Das has accused the members of the trust of “betraying” people and Ram devotees “by committing fraud” while purchasing land for the temple, and alleged that donations had been misused.
In a video statement to reporters, he also demanded immediate sacking of trust member Champat Rai and demanded that religious leaders in Ayodhya be given the responsibility of running the shrine, stressing the government should run the country and not the temple.
In his complaint against the Trust at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station, Das alleged that Deep Narayan Upadhyay purchased 676 sq metre land from Mahant Devendra Prasadacharya in February for Rs 20 lakh, which was further sold to the temple trust for Rs 2.5 crore. The circle rate of the land is about Rs 35 lakhs, he said.
He named all of the Trust’s members and office-bearers, including general secretary Champat Rai and member Anil Mishra, Ayodhya mayor’s nephew Deep Narayan, Rajkumar Das of Ram Ballabhakunj, and sub-registrar SB Singh. The police said they have received a complaint but are yet to register an FIR.
Last month, the Trust came clean on the allegations and said that no irregularities were found by a “team of experts who scrutinised all the documents related to the land deals”.
However, the incharge of the trust office here, Prakash Gupta, said if the nazul (government) land was involved in the deal then Das should have complained to government officials. What is the meaning of going to police, he said, trashing allegations of corruption and adding that they bought the land and paid the amount.
Earlier, a complaint was filed against the trust which alleged that the land was purchased at a higher rate. However, later the Trust members gave a clean chit to the land purchase committee.