I am deeply pained, saddened and ashamed of the theft of offerings at Ram Temple in Ayodhya: Govind Guru Maharaj

In his first reaction to the theft of offerings from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, Govind Dev Giri Maharaj, the treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, clarified that he had no connection with the counting of offerings or the process, and that he was neither in favor of nor against anyone in the investigation of this heinous crime, but was in favor of the truth. He believes that the culprits should be caught and punished.

The treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, Govind Giri Maharaj, issued a statement saying that he was deeply saddened, grieved, and ashamed of the theft of offerings. He said, "The extent of the theft, when and how it happened, is a matter of investigation, it should be investigated properly, we trust the investigating agency, the court will do its job, we have faith in the SIT and the police, the culprits will not be spared, everyone should have complete faith in the investigation and the justice system. We are not against anyone, nor are we in favor of anyone, the investigating agency should catch the culprits and punish them.

Before arriving in Ayodhya, Govind Giri Maharaj, the treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, issued a statement explaining the situation. He said, "The unbelievable incidents of embezzlement in the Ayodhya temple have broken the hearts of Ram devotees. Some people have committed the heinous crime of stealing while counting silver and gold ornaments as offerings. We are deeply saddened, grieved, and ashamed of this."

Govind Giri Maharaj explained several points in his statement. He said, "The entire account of the funds collected is safe and can be verified by authorized persons. Moreover, the expenses incurred by the Ram temple are done directly through the bank and he is not an authorized signatory."

Regarding the offerings, Govind Giri Maharaj said, "From the beginning, I had no connection with the area where the offerings given by Lord Ram's devotees in the donation box are counted. I live in Pune, I travel regularly for katha, the counting of offerings is a daily routine. Local trustees oversee it, they have been overseeing it since the beginning of the SOP. The counting process was shown to me this month with the cooperation of the State Bank of India.

Govind Giri Maharaj says that he never tried to become a trustee or treasurer. After becoming a trustee, except for one or two exceptions, he never accepted any cash or donation for the temple. Moreover, he never accepted anything except by check. He also mentions that he visits Ayodhya every month or every one and a half months for the work of the trust, and the trust does not bear his airfare or other travel expenses.

He said, "The 200 kg silver bricks, donated by the Sindhi community with devotion, are safely kept in a locker of the State Bank of India (Ayodhya branch) after being poured into pure silver bricks, and are present in their original place in the precious metal register."

Govind Giri Maharaj expressed confidence that with the blessings of Lord Ram, the truth will come out soon and the clouds of doubt will clear. He further said that in the future, extreme vigilance and caution will be exercised. Moreover, attempts to tarnish the reputation of Lord Sanatan Dharma and the temple will not be allowed to succeed.