Theft of gods: India’s Ram Temple hit by corruption | Religious Matters

New Delhi, India – Brajesh Kumar climbs three floors every night to spend time alone on the roof of his house opposite the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in northern Uttar Pradesh, India.

Over the years, the 65-year-old has seen the once sleepy town transform into a stronghold of the Hindu mainstream, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The site of the temple was the site of the 15th-century Babri Mosque, but in 1992 a group of Hindus demolished it, sparking religious riots that killed nearly 2,000 people across the country, mostly Muslims.

Two and a half years ago, Modi presided over the dedication of a new temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Ram. Many Hindus believe that Ram, a god worshiped as the embodiment of justice, was born there.

For Hindu devotees like Kumar, the temple – despite the strife and death that defined its birth – brought peace.

Until recently.

For the past month, the temple has been contending that its caretakers have stolen millions of dollars from the pilgrims attracted to the temple.

“We have been betrayed (by the administration), who have taken away our trust,” Kumar told Al Jazeera. “If left to them, they will sell us all one day in the name of religion and put them in their own pockets.”

The allegations have led to police investigations, arrests and a political fallout that could change elections in India’s most populous country, which is months away.

Ayodhya’s can of worms

Since its establishment, the Ram Temple has become one of the top religious places in India, attracting millions of Hindus.

An independent trust, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, manages the shrine. Although it is outside the government, its main members are politically active, with some coming from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a wellspring of the BJP.

News of the corruption came to light this month after Mahipal Singh, who was in charge of the trust’s audit team, publicly declared that there was no wrongdoing. Al Jazeera was unable to reach him for comment.

After the public uproar, Akhilesh Yadav, who was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh from the opposition Samajwadi Party, responded to the issue, saying that millions of donations had gone missing.

The mounting pressure forced the state government, ruled by the BJP, to set up a three-member probe team, which submitted a report on misuse of donations.

Although the contents of the report have not been made public, the state police have registered a criminal case and have arrested at least eight people, including those who were counting money and valuables at the temple.

Many volunteers have come to find the whereabouts of their valuables, including silver bricks and gold jewelery and antiques, which they handed over to the trust authorities.

On Friday, the former general secretary of the trust, Champat Rai, stepped down along with other top trustees. The allegations have come as a blow to Rai, who has been the leader of the Ram Temple group.

But it has done little to quell tensions in the state, where thousands of volunteers, including some BJP supporters, feel cheated.

‘Clever thieves run Ram Temple’

Santosh Dubey was one of the accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case in 1992. He did not shirk his duty and instead showed it.

After the mosque was demolished, Mr. Dubey awaited a final decision on what to do with the site from the courts, where both sides had fought bitterly for decades. In 2019, the Supreme Court handed the site over to Hindus – even though it deemed the destruction of the mosque illegal. The Supreme Court granted land to Muslims outside Ayodhya to build a new mosque. In 2020, Dubey and others accused of demolishing the mosque were acquitted – the court said there was insufficient evidence.

If the verdicts seem vindication to Mr. Dubey, the alleged looting of the temple has angered him.

“These scandals hurt me a lot, a pain that words cannot describe,” Dubey told Al Jazeera, speaking from Ayodhya. All I can say is that the death penalty will not be enough for them.

“Cunning, dishonest and cruel thieves are running the Ram Temple, and they have created a culture of fear so that no one wants to challenge them,” he said.

Dubey said the government will try to ignore the anger among devotees as this section contradicts the BJP’s narrative that it is the savior of the Hindu religion.

This is not the first time that people have started arguing about believing in the temple. In 2021, the trust reportedly bought land at exorbitant prices using government grants.

BJP spokespersons declined to comment when approached by Al Jazeera.

‘About the upcoming election’

Temple worshipers and government critics are accusing government officials of a cover-up.

Opposition leader Yadav described the state government’s initial response to the case as “questionable”. “The government is arresting staff to check and protect the big fish that caused the rot,” Yadav said while demanding an inquiry.

Karpatri Maharaj, a well-known Hindu visionary associated with the Ram Temple group, told Al Jazeera that the government is using small workers as scapegoats and imprisoning them.

Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, is led by Hindu political innovator Yogi Adityanath, who is often seen as Modi’s successor within the RSS-led Hindutva movement.

Modi’s party lost ground in the state in the 2024 election as the BJP lost its majority, forcing it to rely on the support of allies to stay in power.

For the BJP, which has been using the Ram Temple campaign as a central political platform, the new controversy could spell trouble ahead of the Uttar Pradesh general election early next year, political analyst Rasheed Kidwai said.

“It would have a big impact on the BJP if more religious leaders come to speak about this,” Kidwai told Al Jazeera. “This is not something that can be forgotten because it is a matter of faith, and the head of state comes from a religious group.”

The story has more lessons, he said: Turning to religious sentiments and romantic divisions can backfire. “What has helped the BJP over the years can also be very damaging,” Kidwai said.