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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Broken Faith

For generations, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was about far more than bricks and mortar. It was sustained by faith, sacrifice and an unwavering belief among millions of devotees that one day a grand temple would rise at what they regarded as the birthplace of Lord Ram. After decades of political battles, social upheaval and legal contestation, that dream finally became reality. For countless Hindus, it marked the fulfilment of a civilisational aspiration. This is precisely why the allegations...

Broken Faith

For generations, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was about far more than bricks and mortar. It was sustained by faith, sacrifice and an unwavering belief among millions of devotees that one day a grand temple would rise at what they regarded as the birthplace of Lord Ram. After decades of political battles, social upheaval and legal contestation, that dream finally became reality. For countless Hindus, it marked the fulfilment of a civilisational aspiration. This is precisely why the allegations now emerging from Ayodhya are so disturbing. The Special Investigation Team constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government is probing serious irregularities in the handling of donations offered by devotees, to the tune of Rs. 7-7.5 crores missing. Investigators are examining the procedures governing donation boxes, cash counting and the movement of personnel entrusted with handling offerings made in good faith by worshippers. The details are deeply troubling. Individuals involved in counting donations are under scrutiny for sudden and unexplained financial growth. Authorities have allegedly recovered substantial sums of cash. Questions are being asked about assets accumulated by persons linked to temple operations. When a devotee places money into a donation box, it is an act of faith. The offering is made not to an institution but to the deity. Those entrusted with managing such offerings carry a responsibility far greater than that borne by ordinary administrators. They are custodians of sacred trust. The allegations that have emerged have wounded the emotional bond that millions have forged with the temple. While a scandal in a government department is unfortunate, a scandal involving a sacred institution is even more corrosive. It risks breeding cynicism where reverence should exist. The Ram Mandir is too important an institution to be shielded from scrutiny. In fact, because of its significance, it must be subjected to higher standards of transparency than almost any other public body in the country. While the temple itself remains a symbol of faith, what requires examination are the actions of those entrusted with managing a sacred institution. For years, devotees contributed money, labour and emotional energy to a cause they believed transcended politics. They did not do so to enrich temple employees or power brokers. The SIT investigation must therefore proceed without fear or favour. Every allegation must be examined. Every financial trail must be followed. Every individual, regardless of proximity to powerful figures, must be held accountable if wrongdoing is established. The Ram Mandir was built through the devotion of millions. Its sanctity cannot be compromised by the greed of a few. The greatest threat to the temple today does not come from outside its walls. It comes from the possibility that those entrusted with protecting faith may have betrayed it. And for devotees, that is the most painful betrayal of all.

NIA arrests 26/11 Mumbai attacks accused Tahawwur Rana after extradition from US

  • PTI
  • Apr 10, 2025
  • 2 min read

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday "formally arrested" Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the key accused in the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, immediately after he landed at the Delhi airport following his extradition from the United States, an official statement said.


Rana was escorted to Delhi by teams of NIA and National Security Guard (NSG), comprising senior officials, on a special plane from Los Angeles, the agency said.


The NIA investigation team at the airport arrested Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin living primarily in Chicago (US), soon after he emerged from the airplane, after completing all the necessary legal formalities, it said.


The agency secured Rana's extradition following years of sustained and concerted efforts and after the terror mastermind's last-ditch efforts to get a stay on his extradition from the US failed.


With the coordinated efforts of India's Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs, along with the relevant authorities in the United States, the NIA said it worked closely with other Indian intelligence agencies through the entire extradition process, which marked a major step in India's efforts to bring individuals involved in terrorism to justice, irrespective of which part of the world they had fled to.


Rana was being held in judicial custody in the US pursuant to proceedings initiated by the NIA under the India-US Extradition Treaty.


He is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, and operatives of designated terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) along with other Pakistan-based co-conspirators, to carry out the devastating terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008.


A total of 166 people were killed and more than 238 injured in the deadly attacks.

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