India, June 26 -- A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged on Thursday against eight named accused and other unidentified persons on the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust's complaint in connection with the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, pushing the controversy into the domain of a criminal investigation.

The move comes under mounting political pressure and amid growing unease over allegations of theft of devotees' offerings.

The FIR was registered at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station in Ayodhya on the complaint of Trust member Krishna Mohan. The step was taken after a preliminary probe by a state government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) is learnt to have recommended criminal acti...