Mathura (UP), Jun 17 (PTI) A petitioner in the Krishna Janambhoomi case on Wednesday alleged irregularities in the management of donations at the Sri Krishna Janmasthan temple here and sought a CBI probe, claiming that a situation similar to the donation-related ‘fraud’ at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya could be occurring there.
Dinesh Falahari Maharaj, who is also president of the Sri Krishna Janmabhumi Sangharsh Nyas outfit, in a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alleged that donation money and jewellery offered by devotees at the Sri Krishna Janmasthan were being misappropriated for years.
He alleged that CCTV cameras were switched off during the counting of donations and claimed that committee members had accumulated personal wealth, hurting the sentiments of devotees.
“We fear that similar irregularities are taking place at Sri Krishna Janmasthan. A CBI inquiry should be conducted into the matter,” he said, adding that if the demand was not accepted, he would approach the Prayagraj High Court.
The allegations come at a time when a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) began probing alleged embezzlement of donations at the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya.
However, Kapil Sharma, secretary of the Sri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan, rejected the allegations and said the temple followed a transparent system for handling donations and was open to any inquiry.
“The allegations are baseless. We are ready for any investigation,” Sharma told PTI.
He said the donation counting process was carried out under CCTV surveillance in the presence of three employees, who are rotated throughout the year, and recordings were preserved.
“We are further upgrading the system and will keep CCTV recordings for a longer period,” he said.
Sharma said the temple did not have any donation counters outside the premises and all offerings were received inside the temple complex.
He added that devotees were subjected to security checks and were not allowed to carry purses, garlands, prasad or mobile phones inside, making it difficult for anyone to bring large amounts of cash or jewellery.
The secretary also said the temple did not make cash payments exceeding Rs 5,000 and claimed that no notice had been received from the Income Tax department regarding the temple’s donation management.
Maharaj is a litigant in the Krishna Janambhoomi case. Hindus claim that the Shahi Idgah mosque at Mathura has been built after demolishing a temple at the birthplace of Lord Krishna.PTI COR KIS DV DV
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.