Row over alleged theft of donations from India's landmark Ram temple

Two-and-a-half years after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a grand temple to Hindu god Ram, the shrine is embroiled in an unsavoury row over allegations that donations from devotees worth tens of millions of rupees have been embezzled.The temple in the once-flashpoint city of Ayodhya in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh replaced a 16th-Century mosque torn down by Hindu mobs in 1992, sparking riots in which nearly 2,000 people died.Since its inauguration in January 2024, the three-storey temple spread over 2.7 acres has become one of India's most important pilgrimage centres, attracting an estimated 50 million visitors annually. But in recent weeks, questions over the handling of cash, valuable jewellery, gold and silver offered by devotees have triggered a political controversy and petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored investigation by the federal police.The state government has set up a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to inquire into the allegations. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust - an independent trust which manages the shrine - has denied any wrongdoing.Meanwhile, police on Thursday named eight people in a report alleging embezzlement, senior police officer Gaurav Grover told BBC Hindi.All eight are in custody and being questioned. They are expected to be produced before a magistrate within the next day or two, he added.The complex, which also includes six smaller temples, draws 70,000 to 80,000 devotees daily, with crowds tripling on weekends and festivals. Most leave offerings in about 35 donation boxes around the site.