UP: Yogi’s first statement on Ram Mandir Funds Embezzlement; “We have constituted an SIT”

June 19, 2026

Amid the controversy regarding the theft of offerings at the Ram Temple, CM Yogi visited Ayodhya for the first time on Friday. Addressing a public meeting, he stated that after 1857, the British attempted to suppress the country’s youth, but the youth refused to be subdued; they carried out the Chauri-Chaura and Kakori train incidents. The British could not stay for long. Today, the country is independent, and we are living in a ‘New Uttar Pradesh.’

What does CM Yogi say?

Observe the SP’s double standards; they claim that devotees of Ram have been insulted. Yet, those who ordered firing on kar sevaks—and on people chanting slogans in praise of Ram—have now taken it upon themselves to preach. I learned about the matter regarding Ayodhya through newspapers. At the request of the Trust, we ordered an SIT probe. The SIT will ensure the truth is fully revealed. However, I urge all parties to refrain from making reckless comments that might hurt the sentiments of Ram devotees.

Yogi lashed out at the SP

CM Yogi remarked that toilets are now being constructed free of cost in the homes of the poor. He questioned why those who governed before 2017 failed to upgrade Kamakhya Dham into a Nagar Panchayat or build roads in the area, and why the poor were unable to access rations back then.

It was because they lacked empathy and willpower. You held no significance for them; their family was everything. Jobs and amenities went only to their kin. How could they have installed a statue of the brave heroine Jhalkari Bai? They were too preoccupied with the boundary walls of graveyards; their vision was confined to graveyards alone.

Ram Temple embezzlement probe

Stepping up its probe into the Ram Temple embezzlement row, the three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) is set to quiz Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav again on Friday and expand the ambit of the investigation, including scanning of documents pertaining to gold and silver offerings at the temple and also bringing land records of the accused under the scanner.

Ram Shankar Yadav is one of the key suspects in the alleged misappropriation of funds at Ram Temple, over allegations that he diverted temple funds to the tune of Rs 50 crore for building a lavish home. His alleged links with Ram Temple Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai added fuel to the controversy. The SIT team, continuing its probe for the fifth day on Friday, will question Yadav and also cross-verify his statements with the documents collected from him so far.