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'They should have kept Muslim..': Owaisi's taunts Ram Mandir trust
30 Jun 2026

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has slammed the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government over the Ram Mandir donation theft case.

Speaking at a rally in Bijnor, Western UP, on Monday, he said if a Muslim had been in the trust, they would have been killed in an encounter and their house bulldozed.

"They should have kept a Muslim in the trust and closed the case with his encounter and by bulldozing his house," Owaisi said.

Owaisi questions police action
Accusations raised

Owaisi also questioned the lack of action by the police and their failure to seek custody of the high-profile accused in the case.

He specifically mentioned Champat Rai, the general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, who resigned after the theft was discovered.

"Champat is enjoying," Owaisi said, referring to Rai.

Ram Mandir donation theft case sparks political controversy
Political fallout

The Ram Mandir donation theft case has sparked a massive political controversy in India. It has also led to calls for reforms in temple management systems.

The opposition parties have slammed the Adityanath government over the incident.

The controversy began after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav raised questions about it publicly, leading to a state-backed Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and searches at residences linked to those involved.

Eight persons arrested in Ram Mandir theft case
Legal proceedings

On June 25, an FIR was filed on the complaint of Krishna Mohan, a trust member.

The FIR named eight donation-counting staff at the Ram Mandir who have all been arrested. They are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu.

Chief Minister Adityanath had said on June 26 that his government would take a zero-tolerance approach toward undermining public trust.

Amount stolen from temple premises yet to be ascertained
Financial impact

The exact amount stolen in the Ram Mandir theft case is still unknown but is estimated to be between ₹ 7 and ₹ 7.5 crore. Nearly ₹80 lakh has been recovered from the accused so far by the police.

The temple trust general secretary, Champat Rai, and trustee Anil Mishra have both resigned over the incident.