Rahul writes to Modi over Ram Mandir donation theft:Says silence is unacceptable, seeks trust accounts be made public; Tinnu questioned again today

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the alleged theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. They have sought an independent probe into the trust’s financial affairs and demanded that its accounts be made public so every devotee can know how and where the donations were used. They also said anyone found responsible in the investigation must be held accountable. The letter, written on Saturday, came to light on Sunday. Addressing the Prime Minister, they wrote: “You had announced the formation of the trust in Parliament, but its members were appointed entirely by the government. It is well known that the trust members are associated with the RSS, VHP and their affiliates. The former general secretary was also considered close to you. In such a situation, your silence is unacceptable. It is your duty to ensure accountability. The credibility of both the government and the trust depends on it.” Meanwhile, Sunday is the last day of police custody for the main accused, Ramashankar Yadav alias ‘Tinnu’, and his nephew Manish. On Saturday at around 8.30 am, police took both men from the district jail on a 39-hour remand. Police personnel remained at the Special Operations Group (SOG) office until 11 pm, and the accused were not taken anywhere else during the remand. Tinnu was considered a close aide of former general secretary Champat Rai. He was responsible for overseeing the temple’s donation boxes, while Manish was involved in counting the offerings. Police recovered ₹1 lakh from Tinnu’s house and ₹2 lakh from Manish’s residence. Earlier, police had also taken six other accused — Avinash Shukla, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, Ramashankar Mishra and Karunesh — into custody for questioning on remand.