Agra: Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva-Sansthan in Mathura has installed a computerised machine to test the purity of metal articles donated by devotees, following concerns over donation handling that emerged after an alleged theft at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and subsequent allegations over offerings at Krishna Janmabhoomi.
Eight people were arrested in connection with the case and are in jail, while the SIT filed a chargesheet running into nearly 74,000 pages last week. The machine can determine the purity of an article and the proportion of different metals in it without cutting, breaking or altering it. Articles handed over directly at the donation counter will be tested before being accepted.
The alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya had earlier prompted the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and authorities to review the handling of offerings.
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Against this backdrop, Mathura-based seer Dinesh “Phalahari” Maharaj in June alleged a “massive embezzlement in donations” at Shri Krishna Janmasthan and sought a CBI probe, drawing parallels with the Ayodhya case. His allegations concerned donations including gold and silver ornaments, and revenue linked to rituals such as “Chhappan Bhog”, the traditional offering of 56 delicacies to Lord Krishna. If any discrepancy in quality was detected in an article at the time of purchase, the report could also help the devotee take an appropriate decision,” Sharma said. The sansthan said the system would also help with classification, safe storage and record-keeping.
He later withdrew the allegation, saying that “the priest who had given him the information could not provide evidence. A receipt will be given to the donor and another copy kept in the sansthan’s records. The test report, carrying the donor’s signature and mobile number, will also be made available to the temple management. “The report would provide donors with a record of the purity of the metal they had donated. Metal articles received through hundis and donation boxes will be tested separately in the donation counting room. A demonstration of the machine was conducted in the presence of the trustee and other officials. The donation counting room is already monitored by CCTV cameras, with counting carried out in the presence of independent observers and security personnel and recordings preserved for six months. Download the TOI App.
Sansthan secretary Kapil Sharma said on Friday that articles handed over at the donation counter would be tested in the presence of the donor.