# Eight arrested in Ram Mandir donation theft; trust secretary and trustee resign
> UP Police arrested eight temple employees and associates for stealing from donation counters; SIT investigation widens a day after the arrests as Champat Rai and Anil Mishra quit the trust

**Meta:** type: story · date: 2026-06-26 · heads: Who Decides, What They're Not Saying · 5 takes · 2 lenses · 1 regions

## Summary

Uttar Pradesh Police arrested eight people, six of them Ram Mandir employees who counted cash donations, on June 25 for systematically stealing from donation counters at the Ayodhya temple. A Special Investigation Team constituted on June 13 expanded its probe the following day. Trust secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra resigned on June 26. CCTV footage is central to the case. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the government will apply zero tolerance to the matter.

## Why it matters

The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is the centrepiece of the [BJP government's](/en/entity/narendra-modi) Hindu nationalist agenda. Allegations of theft from temple donations create reputational damage at a politically sensitive site. The resignations of the trust's two most senior figures signal that the fallout is not being contained, and the SIT's widening mandate suggests the theft may be larger than initially disclosed.

## What to watch

- Whether the SIT implicates figures above the six counting employees or finds coordinated skimming across donation counters.
- Political opposition use of the case against the BJP ahead of Uttar Pradesh local elections.
- Whether the trust reconstitution leads to a government takeover of management or an independent appointment.

## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens)

### Indian weekly news magazine, political reporting
- **The Week India** (India, en) — Reported that trust secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra resigned on June 26, one day after UP Police arrested eight accused, six of them temple employees responsible for counting cash donations at the Ram Mandir. CM Yogi Adityanath declared 'zero tolerance'; SIT constituted June 13 widened its probe.
  > "Champat Rai and Anil Mishra resigned from the Ram Temple Trust on June 26, a day after UP Police arrested eight accused in the donation theft case."
  Source: https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2026/06/26/ayodhya-ram-mandir-donation-theft-trust-chief-champat-rai-resigns-a-day-after-8-arrested.html

### unlabelled
- **Business Today** (India, en) — 
  Source: https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/ayodhya-ram-mandir-donation-case-champat-rai-anil-mishra-resign-sit-probe-widens-539399-2026-06-26
- **India.com** (India, en) — 
  Source: https://www.india.com/news/india/ram-mandir-donation-row-champat-rai-anil-mishra-resigns-from-ram-temple-trust-8457986/
- **India TV News** (India, en) — 
  Source: https://www.indiatvnews.com/uttar-pradesh/champat-rai-anil-mishra-resign-from-ram-temple-trust-after-8-arrested-in-donation-theft-case-2026-06-26-1046207
- **Siasat Daily** (India, en) — 
  Source: https://www.siasat.com/ram-temple-donation-row-all-eight-accused-named-in-fir-arrested-3496649/

## Across the graph
- Entities: Narendra Modi, India

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