Treasurer being shielded in Ram temple donation 'theft': Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati of Jyotirmath on Wednesday (July 2, 2026) alleged that the treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is being shielded
Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati of Jyotirmath on Wednesday (July 2, 2026) alleged that the treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is being shielded in the alleged Ram temple donation theft. The seer made the remarks during his two-day visit to Bareilly and later in Pilibhit as part of his 81-day 'Goraksha evam Dharmayuddh Yatra'. Addressing reporters, he termed the alleged donation embezzlement a "conspiracy" and said, "The treasurer is being protected in the Ram temple donation theft case. Everyone is trying to save him." Govind Dev Giri is the treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
He questioned the composition of the temple trust, alleging that those who had fought the legal battle for the Ram temple were sidelined. "The first right over the temple's construction belonged to senior religious leaders. The government removed prominent acharyas from the โน13-crore trust. The Central government did not contribute even a single rupee from its own treasury," he alleged. He also renewed his demand for the status of "Rashtra Mata" to the cow. During his public meetings, the seer reiterated his demand that cows be removed from the category of animals and accorded the status of "Rashtra Mata" (Mother of the Nation).
Also Read | Ram temple donations case: All eight accused sent to 14 days judicial custody He called for turning cow protection into a mass movement and urged people to support only those political parties that promised to grant such a status to cows. "Those who consider the cow as mother are brothers and sisters to each other," he said, while appealing to people to vote for those committed to cow protection. The seer also appealed for public contributions towards the construction of a cowshed in the region and announced the appointment of a local coordinator to collect donations for the purpose.
In Pilibhit, where he was welcomed by religious leaders, members of the Samajwadi Party, the Congress and the Bharatiya Kisan Union, the seer also criticised the BJP government, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the RSS over issues relating to cow protection and the Ram temple donation controversy. He alleged that attempts had been made to disrupt his ongoing yatra and maintained that cow protection should transcend politics and become a national cause.
