- Nripendra Misra alleges serious lapses in Ayodhya Ram Temple donation handling.
- Misra claims donation counting lacked vigilance, questioning bank’s responsibilities.
- CCTV footage was auto-deleted; Misra cites poor administrative management.
- Misra recommends appointing experienced officer to improve temple administration.
Ram Temple Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Misra has alleged serious lapses in the handling of donations at the Ayodhya temple, saying evidence emerging from the alleged offering theft case indicates that the counting process was carried out with almost no monitoring or vigilance.
Speaking to ABP News Political Editor Megha Prasad, the former IAS officer said the findings emerging so far point to major shortcomings in oversight mechanisms during the counting of offerings. He also raised questions on whether the bank fulfilled its responsibilities during the counting process.
‘Vigilance Was Zero’
Misra said the evidence being cited from the counting process raises concerns about how the exercise was conducted.
“Some evidence emerging from the counting process suggests that the entire exercise was carried out in an environment where there was virtually no monitoring. Vigilance was zero,” he said.
According to Misra, the responsibility for counting donations and maintaining records had been assigned to the bank under an agreement with the temple trust.
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Questions Raised Over Bank’s Role
The temple committee chief said preliminary facts indicate that the bank may not have fulfilled the responsibilities entrusted to it.
He stated that the bank was expected to deploy its personnel in the counting room but that this was allegedly not done.
Why that happened is now part of the investigation and will be examined by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), he said.
What Misra Said On CCTV Footage
Misra said the alleged irregularities could have been avoided had the prescribed procedures been implemented properly.
According to him, the system was designed to ensure transparency, with accountability fixed for every person involved in the counting process. Checks on individuals entering and exiting the counting area were mandatory, while the entire exercise was meant to be monitored through CCTV surveillance.
Addressing concerns over surveillance footage, Misra said the recordings were not deliberately deleted.
He explained that the footage was removed through an auto-delete mechanism. However, he added that the recordings could have been preserved if required, but that step was not taken.
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Calls For Experienced Administrative Management
Misra also said surveillance arrangements existed at two levels: through CCTV cameras installed by the trust and through a monitoring system linked to the police control room.
“It is also true that surveillance was happening at two locations. There were CCTVs in the trust, and there was also a system for viewing in the police control room. It was difficult for the police, but the system was in place,” he said.
At the same time, he attributed the lapses to shortcomings in administrative management.
“I would say there was a severe lack of administrative management experience,” Misra said.
He added that he has suggested the immediate appointment of an experienced officer within the trust and said such an officer should be given adequate freedom to function effectively.
