LUCKNOW, June 26 -- The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Thursday lodged an FIR against eight people 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 within the wider saffron brigade ecosystem over allegations of the 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 action in the sensitive case. The SIT's preliminary report was submitted to the state government on June 23. Senior police officials said the FIR names Rama Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu, described as a close aide of Trust general secretary Champat Rai, along with Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Luvkush Mishra, Subash Srivastava, Rama Shankar Mishra, Manish Yadav and Karunesh Pandey. The case has been registered against the eight named accused and other unidentified persons under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), relating to offences such as criminal breach of trust, cheating, theft and criminal conspiracy. The Trust's decision to seek criminal action marks the most serious turn yet in a controversy that had until now remained confined to allegations, internal scrutiny and an SIT inquiry. The Uttar Pradesh government constituted the three-member SIT on June 13 at the request of the Trust. The team reached Ayodhya on June 15 and returned to Lucknow on June 20 after conducting its preliminary inquiry. It is learnt to have submitted a report recommending registration of an FIR. The SIT comprises Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, inspector general of police (Lucknow Range) Kiran S, and special secretary (finance) Neel Ratan. People familiar with the probe said investigators examined the chain of custody of donations - from collection boxes and counting to storage, accounting, access control and surveillance - and flagged prima facie irregularities in the handling of offerings made by devotees at the shrine. Some Trust-linked functionaries are also under the scanner, people familiar with the matter said though there has been no official confirmation on that count. The timing of the FIR is politically significant. The Opposition had stepped up its attack in recent days, portraying the alleged theft of cash and valuables offered at the feet of Ram Lalla as a betrayal of faith and asking why criminal proceedings had not begun earlier. The controversy also caused visible discomfort within sections of the Sangh fold. In a notable intervention on Wednesday, VHP international president Alok Kumar publicly demanded that an FIR be lodged against those involved in the alleged scam. The filing of the FIR by the Trust itself - rather than by an outside complainant - is therefore being seen as a significant step aimed at containing both the legal and political fallout from the case. Now that the FIR has been filed, the move will allow police to summon and question suspects, scrutinise financial and banking records, seize electronic and documentary evidence, and make arrests, if required. Sources indicated that the investigation could widen in the coming days and that the focus would be on the scale of the alleged siphoning, the role of those who had direct access to donations, and whether the trail ends with the eight named accused or extends further. Reacting to the FIR, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav posted on X, "This is the spectacle of injustice visible under BJP rule: The tip of the branch faces the noose, while the branches themselves get a reprieve! The public believes that the FIR is being filed only after all evidence was wiped clean under the guise of the SIT, and decisions were already made regarding which 'big fish' to shield and whom to implicate." "It appears the SIT was likely handed a pre-prepared report and conducted the investigation accordingly-meaning the conclusion had already been determined beforehand," Akhilesh Yadav wrote. Ajay Rai, the Uttar Pradesh Congress president, said the FIR has no meaning unless it names those in the Trust. People who donated statues, goods worth crores and did not get a receipt are blaming Champat Rai and others in the Trust and not staff working in Ayodhya, he added. Ashok Pandey, state BJP spokesperson, said, "As assured by the chief minister, an FIR was lodged in the case. The CM has categorically stated that no one will be spared and stern action will be taken. The SIT will also submit its final report to the state government soon."...