‘No matter how big the culprit is, he should get strict punishment’, Treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri said on the Ram Temple offering theft case.

On the issue of alleged theft of offerings in the Ram temple of Ayodhya, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri has issued a detailed statement and made an emotional appeal to the Ram devotees. He said that the incident of theft during counting of money offered by devotees in Ram Lalla’s donation box is extremely sad, painful and shameful. He said that this incident has hurt the sentiments of all Ram devotees. The culprits should not be spared at any cost.

Swami Govind Dev Giri said that he is reaching Ayodhya after completing the pre-determined Srimad Bhagwat Katha on July 5. He clarified that his responsibility as treasurer is to maintain accounts of the income and expenditure of the temple and the entire accounts till date are audited, which can be checked by authorized persons at any time.

The work of stealing offerings was going on for a long time

Swami Govind Dev Giri said that in such an auspicious environment, the incredible incident of theft of money that happened in the Ayodhya temple shattered the hearts of the Ram devotees. Some people committed the heinous sin of theft while counting the amount of money dedicated to Ram Lalla by millions of devotees with utmost devotion. This sequence of theft of offerings was going on for a long time, this also came to light. This is extremely painful, extremely painful for all Ram devotees. We are extremely hurt, sad and ashamed by this.

In the statement issued by Treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri, the entire thing has been said on 10 points.

1. I never requested anyone for the post of trustee or treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, nor did I make any effort. There is definitely an experience of blessedness and joy in serving Lord Shri Ram in any form. My constant prayer is that by the grace of God, everyone should be blessed.
2. I keep coming to Ayodhya almost every month or one and a half months for trust work. Till now I have not taken even a single rupee from the Trust as expenditure for my flight or other travel. One feels blessed in doing this work as an absolute service to Lord Shri Ram.
3. As a responsibility of the Treasurer, the accounts of income and expenditure of the amount deposited in the fund from the beginning till now are audited and can be checked by authorized persons at any time.
4. As treasurer, it is my duty to keep track of income and expenditure. I am constantly on the move, hence the Chartered Accountant colleague of our Pune office comes to Ayodhya for the last 4-5 days of every month to check the income and expenditure and also provides support and necessary guidelines to the office colleagues of the Trust. By relying on them I can remain rest assured about my accounts.
5. From the time I became a trustee till now, I myself have not accepted any cash or in-kind gift for the temple from anyone. (There are two exceptions to this: 1) My late elderly elder sister has given Rs. 11,000 and Mrs. Neelam Go-Heji provided a 1 kg silver brick in Pune. The receipts for both of these were sent to him immediately. Apart from this, I have never accepted anything except a check from any person.
6. The expenditure incurred by Ram temple is directly from the bank. I am not an authorized signer. That’s why my signature doesn’t work there. We don’t have any chequebook. Payments are never made in cash, only through direct bank transfer.
7. Right from the beginning, I have never had any connection with the area where the offerings made by Ram devotees are counted in the Hundi. My residence is in Pune. For the sake of stories, migration continues continuously, the task of counting offerings is a daily routine. The local trustees have been looking after it since the beginning. Its SOP (jointly prescribed guidelines for calculation procedure) has been prepared by them in collaboration with State Bank of India. It was shown to me for the first time last month.
8. How much, when and how the unfortunate theft took place is a matter of investigation. This great sin should be investigated in depth. Must be fair. One should trust the investigating agency. The court will do its work. We have faith in SIT and police. The guilty will not be spared. Everyone should have full faith in the investigation and justice system.
9. We are dedicated devotees of Maryada Purushottam Lord Ram, we are with the truth. Follow the decorum. We request that the police and investigating agency catch the culprit. No matter how big the criminal is, he should be given strict punishment from the court, regardless of his name and position.
10. I would make a sincere request to the most respected members of the Trust that in future, non-discriminatory arrangements should be made to exercise full vigilance and caution. After taking the opinion of experts, a management system should be established which has accurate monitoring and there is complete transparency in counting the amount received in the donation box. Every penny of donation given by the devotees of Lord Shri Ram in any form should be accounted for.

The clouds of doubt will disappear, the darkness of crime will go away

In the end, Treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri said, ‘We believe that by the grace of Lord Shri Ram, the clouds of doubt will disappear and the darkness of crime will be dispelled. In future, it will be our endeavor that our Ramlala temple becomes an ideal temple in the world. The stream of devotion to Shri Ram should flow unbroken, we have to do sadhana till we bring Ramrajya. God will not allow any attempt to tarnish the work of Sanatan Dharma and Ram Mandir to succeed. This is our unwavering belief.

Victory to religion. Jai Shri Ram.’

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