India Opposition Protests Alleged Temple Donation Theft and Police Crackdown

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray alleged that the Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai loses about ₹18 crore annually and that the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya suffered a theft of roughly ₹1,400 crore. The Siddhivinayak Trust said nine employees have been arrested and that its annual income has risen to ₹182 crore. Opposition parties, led by the INDIA bloc, staged protests in Parliament demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on both the alleged donation thefts and police action against student demonstrators. MPs placed donation boxes on the floor, symbolically depositing cash to represent the alleged misappropriation, and displayed banners such as “Why Amit Shah absent from Parliament”. Congress leaders, including Pramod Tiwari, accused the BJP of being behind the alleged thefts, while BJP officials rejected the claims. The protests caused adjournments in both houses of Parliament and prompted criticism from Hindu organisations that the demonstrations insulted Sanatan Dharma. The issue remains under investigation, with arrests made in both temple cases and calls for a Supreme Court‑monitored SIT probe.