The Ram temple trust on Monday accepted the resignations of Champat Rai as its general secretary and member Anil Mishra in the wake of embezzlement of donations. Trustee Krishna Mohan has been named as interim general secretary. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust also announced the formation of a three-member committee to identify a chief executive officer (CEO) for the temple trust.
The trustees are "shocked" by the developments and are duty-bound to ensure that a fair inquiry is conducted and the faith of devotees is restored.
An employee of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has been suspended following a preliminary inquiry into alleged irregularities in the management of donations at Badrinath Dham. Both the BKTC and the Uttarakhand government have launched separate investigations into the matter, which gained attention after social media allegations and a formal complaint. The government committee is expected to submit its report within 15 days.
A day after his resignation was accepted by the Ram temple trust, its former general secretary Champat Rai on Tuesday said he would respond to all allegations of donation embezzlement after the SIT submits its final report, even as opposition parties alleged a "cover-up" and stepped up the demand for its dissolution.
A preliminary probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into alleged cash theft at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has revealed 'serious security lapses' and 'systematic' concealment of cash by staff, with around 70 suspicious incidents captured on CCTV.
Unidentified individuals broke into a temple in Thane, Maharashtra, stealing a donation box containing approximately 10,000. Police are investigating the theft, reviewing CCTV footage and have registered a case against the unknown perpetrators.
'For the rest of his tenure, people will start with the assumption that even Modi can be forced to bow down'
Congress leaders on Monday termed the reorganisation of the Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board with the inclusion of two Hindu members as "inappropriate" and said they would challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.
Police in Bareilly have uncovered a sophisticated child trafficking ring, allegedly kingpinned by a nurse, that targeted vulnerable women and arranged illegal sales of newborns. The racket was exposed after the abduction of a toddler, leading to multiple arrests and the identification of a wider network involving fake medical practitioners and links to private hospitals and IVF centres.
Delhi Police have arrested a 38-year-old woman, identified as Paro, who is allegedly the kingpin of a racket targeting women at hospitals and temples, stealing their jewellery and other valuables. She was wanted in multiple cases and had been declared a proclaimed offender.
Kerala's voters are sophisticated, educated, and unforgiving. They have once again made it clear that no government is entitled to remain in power. The Congress would do well to remember this, points out Ramesh Menon.
The Kerala High Court has directed the state police to register a criminal case and launch an investigation into the misappropriation of gold from a shrine's side frames or lintels.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi intensified the UDF's campaign for the Kerala polls, accusing the CPI(M) of stealing gold from the Sabarimala temple and questioning PM Modi's silence on the issue. He also addressed concerns about rubber prices and the FCRA amendments.
Aranmula, Kerala, prepares for Assembly elections with a focus on development, health sector performance, and religious sentiments, as incumbent Health Minister Veena George faces challenges from Congress and BJP candidates.
Opposition parties are demanding the resignation of Maharashtra State Women's Commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar due to her alleged connections with a self-proclaimed numerologist, Ashok Kharat, who has been arrested for rape and exploitation.
The Bhasma Shankar temple in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has reopened after being locked for 45 years following communal riots. The district administration has requested the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct carbon dating of the temple, including a well on the premises. The temple is being guarded round the clock and worshippers have started visiting. The reopening of the temple has been met with gratitude from local residents, who have expressed their desire to reconnect with their heritage.
Weeks after violent clashes over a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, the district administration in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has launched a campaign against encroachments and illegal power theft in the area around the historic mosque. The administration began removing encroachments on Sunday morning, focusing on clearing drains outside houses and shops. The operation uncovered an illegal stockpile of domestic gas cylinders in a house, and the electricity department unearthed illegal connections in four mosques and a madrasa. The Bhasma Shankar temple, which was reopened by the district administration, has resumed regular worship.
'When I undertook a study of temple desecration in precolonial India, it was not enough simply to document what temples were desecrated, by whom, when, and where.' 'It was also important to explore the total historical context of such incidents, with a view to discovering patterns, which in turn could reveal the reasons why they occurred.'
One of the 'hundis' (chest) at the famous Kapaleeswarar temple in Chennai was found broken and valuables contributed by devotees stolen, the police said. The incident occurred even though three security men were posted inside the temple and closed circuit television cameras were placed in different corners of the temple. Following the incident, the police sealed all the entry points to the temple to carry out investigations.
'I love to meet people.' 'I love that personal connect when they express their genuine, heartfelt feelings.'
They handed the apology letter to Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh at the Akal Takht Secretariat at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Akal Takht is the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs.
The court noted that several devotees visiting the Jagannath temple in Puri were being harassed.
Theft has taken place in front of the eyes of the chowkidar. But you are silent, Rahul said.
Having twice betrayed the BJP -- and Arvind Kejriwal determined not to admit in AAP anyone who could question his authority -- Sidhu seems to have reached a dead-end in his political career, asserts Virendra Kapoor.
'There are hundreds of items from Madhya Pradesh, Andhra, Rajasthan, Gujarat in Subhash Kapoor's loot. The Tamil Nadu Idol Wing wants to just prosecute Kapoor for three cases and close it. To me that's myopic.'
Muslim Personal Law Board has criticised Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy for his recent statement that mosque is not a religious place and can be demolished any time, saying it was intended to divert people's attention from "failures" of the Centre.
The two-and-a-half-foot idol was looted from the Sivan Temple in Tamil Nadu's Sripuranthan village.
'Imagine how secure are our seaports and airports that 10,000 objects can leave every decade and our custodians are not even aware?' 'This kind of targeted looting when thieves pick and choose the best of Indian art and steal on an industrial basis will eventually impoverish our great land.'
Shashi Tharoor says the British Museum should change its name to Chor Bazaar because whatever it has within its portals is the result of 200 years of theft. The museum is once again in the eye of a storm for the possession of a statue of a god Hindus, across the world, worship as the Supreme Being.
Most popular mandal in Mumbai, Lalbaugcha Raja, takes Rs 51 crore cover.
Bhilar, a strawberry farming hub in Maharashtra, has been transformed into India's first 'books village'.
Darryl D' Monte, the distinguished enviromental journalist, discusses how the media covers floods in Mumbai or Texas, but ignores Assam or Bangladesh.
'It was only relatively recently that Subhash Kapoor was able to secure the sources in India, Afghanistan and Cambodia, that allowed him to get the really highest level objects, and that helped propel him in recent years up the ranks.'
BJP President Amit Shah -- arguably the second most powerful politician in the nation -- granted a rare television interview to the Network 18 group of news channels. Rediff.com's Rajesh Alva checks out what the BJP boss said in this word cloud assessment of the interview.
