No Clean Chit Yet: What Emerged During Champat Rai's 3-Hour Police Interrogation In Ayodhya Ram Temple Case?

The Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday questioned former Ram Mandir Trust General Secretary Champat Rai for nearly three hours as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged theft of temple offerings. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is yet to give a clean chit to any individual in its preliminary probe, sources told Times Now.According to sources, investigators questioned Champat Rai on a range of issues, including administrative decisions, the management of temple offerings, staff accountability, and the mechanism for addressing grievances. His statement will now be cross-verified with the testimonies of other witnesses and available documentary evidence.Sources said Champat Rai was unable to satisfactorily answer several questions

during the interrogation, and investigators may summon him again if required. During questioning, he denied any involvement in the alleged theft of temple offerings. He told the police that he acted immediately after learning about the incident by ensuring the accused were apprehended and an FIR was registered.Rai, however, acknowledged that the responsibility for preventing any irregularities within the trust ultimately rested with him.Investigators also questioned him about the appointment of Tinnu Yadav, one of the individuals under scrutiny. Champat Rai said Tinnu had been associated with the trust for a long time and that the alleged misconduct had come as a surprise.When asked about the recruitment process and whether relatives or acquaintances were hired, Champat Rai said employment was provided to people in need and that recruitment decisions were not taken by him alone. He added that other trust members, including Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao, were also involved in the process.

No clean chit to anyone yet

According to sources, the SIT's preliminary inquiry has not given a clean chit to anyone so far, and the investigation remains ongoing. Based on evidence indicating negligence, failure in temple management and lapses in the monitoring system, several office-bearers have been held responsible and Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao are under the scanner of investigation.The investigation into allegations of commission and irregularities in land purchases is still underway. The SIT submitted its preliminary report to the state government on June 23, making several recommendations. One of these was registration of an FIR, following which a case was lodged.The preliminary report clearly states that no office-bearer or employee associated with the temple management has been exonerated. The report says that the theft of crores of rupees in donations during the counting process reflected a failure of the management system.The officials responsible for supervision and administration have been held accountable.There are also the allegations that Anil Mishra received a 40% commission, while Champat Rai has been accused of irregularities related to the purchase and sale of land. Police also recorded the statement of complainant and trustee Krishna Mohan, who is the main informant in the case. He may be called for furthe rquestioning.