New Delhi, Sept. 26 -- The Congress on Saturday raised an array of questions about the investigation into the theft of donations at the Ram temple by the SIT and said only an impartial and transparent probe under the Supreme Court's supervision can reveal the truth.
The party also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the issue, saying it implies that the thieves "enjoy his protection".
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya is a serious matter linked to the faith of devotees and the real truth cannot emerge without investigating the role of those responsible for overseeing and managing the system.
He also asked whether the threads of this entire case reach the top leadership of the BJP-RSS and said the matter cannot be considered closed until the real responsibility for the theft is fixed.
In a post in Hindi on X with the heading 'Chanda chori, aastha dhokha', Ramesh said the Congress had stated from the very first day that the people of the country have "no faith" in the government-appointed SIT formed to investigate the theft of offerings at the Ayodhya temple.
"Now, the facts emerging from the chargesheet have raised serious questions about this investigation and the government's cover-up efforts," he said.
According to the chargesheet, he said, a video of Rs 2.25 lakh being found in the bathroom on June 4 was sent to Champat Rai and on June 5, he was also shown the CCTV footage.
"Despite this, the FIR was filed on June 25. When the CCTV footage, the recovery and the identification of suspicious employees had already come to light, why was there such a delay in initiating criminal action?
"In these 21 days, who exactly got the chance to be protected, and what was hidden?" the Congress leader asked in his post.
Ramesh said that according to the chargesheet, the CCTV footage has revealed 105 instances of offerings being removed and one accused was seen removing money 85 times, and the repeated involvement of other accused individuals has also come to light.
The SIT knew that even three days after everything had come to light, Champat Rai had denied the theft of offerings, he claimed.
"Yet, why were Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao not named as accused?" Why are they witnesses? Despite losing the public's trust, why are they still part of the trust?
"Can the full truth of the offering theft come out without investigating the role of those responsible for overseeing and managing the system?" Ramesh asked.
Seventy to 105 incidents have surfaced, thousands of digital messages have been examined, and scrutiny of bank accounts and properties has been mentioned, the Congress leader claimed. "Yet, why was the investigation's reach limited to just eight accused?"
"Did the SIT establish accountability for the entire system or did it confine the matter to just the minor players?
"And the biggest question: Do the threads of this entire case reach all the way to the top leadership of the BJP-RSS?" he said.
Ramesh said until the real responsibility for the theft of offerings made in the name of Lord Shri Ram is fixed, this case cannot be considered closed.
"This is a serious matter connected to the faith of Ram devotees. Its impartial and transparent investigation should take place under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
"Prime minister ji, break your silence '" otherwise, it means the thieves have your protection," Ramesh said in his post.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.