Ayodhya: A fresh controversy has erupted in Ayodhya over the ancient Ram Niwas Mandir, located close to the Ram Janmabhoomi complex. Harishankar Safariwala, who describes himself as the panch pramukh (head of the panchayat committee) of the temple situated in Ramkot, has accused Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, and his associates of conspiring to grab the temple through forged documents. This development comes even as the ongoing Ram Mandir donation theft case continues to dominate headlines, with the investigation gathering pace and fresh disclosures surfacing regularly.
Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Safariwala said the Ram Niwas Mandir is a panchayati temple, run by a panch committee that has appointed a priest for its religious functions. He asserted that no individual has the authority to sell the temple’s property, since it does not belong to any one person.
Safariwala alleged that Champat Rai and his associates got a fraudulent deal worth around Rs 5.80 crore prepared by projecting the temple as saleable property. He claimed that nearly Rs 60 lakh was transferred into the bank accounts of the priest appointed by the committee and his relatives, and that these very documents were later used in the attempt to take over the temple.
According to Safariwala, members of the temple committee were also offered crores of rupees and pressured to vacate the premises. However, the committee rejected the offer, maintaining that the temple is not private property but a panchayati temple that cannot be sold. He claimed the temple and its adjoining land are currently worth around Rs 50 crore, and that the alleged encroachers have controlled it for the past five years.
Safariwala further alleged that when he sought an account of the donations and offerings made by devotees during this period, no response was given. He said he has raised the matter with the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister and other senior officials, but no action has been taken on his complaints so far.
There has been no official response yet from Champat Rai or the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on these allegations. The claims made by Safariwala remain unverified by any independent authority at this stage.