NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday accused Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government of “protecting big fish” after an FIR was registered against eight persons over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.In a social media post on X, Akhilesh alleged that all the evidence may have been cleaned up under the pretext of forming an SIT.”Under BJP rule, this is what injustice will look like: The twig will be hanged, while the branches will be forgiven,” Akhilesh said. “People are saying that, under the pretext of forming an SIT, all the evidence may have been cleaned up first, and it may have already been decided which big fish would be protected and who would be implicated. Only after that was the FIR registered. It seems as though the SIT may have been handed its conclusions in advance and then conducted the investigation accordingly — meaning the verdict may have been decided before the probe even began,” he added.Earlier in the day, a case was filed under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), on the directions of the Uttar Pradesh government. This comes after allegations were made by former SP MLA from Ayodhya Pawan Pandey, who claimed that between Rs 7 crore and Rs 7.5 crore in donations were misappropriated from the Ram Mandir.Following the allegations, on June 14, the state government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged scam involving offerings made at the Ram Mandir, following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Trust.Meanwhile, a fresh petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored investigation into the allegations.The petition sought registration of an FIR and the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the reported missing funds, financial irregularities, mismanagement and other alleged illegalities concerning the affairs and administration of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
