Ayodhya Temple Donation Theft Pimpri Sindhi Community Silver Bricks

Even as the controversy over the Ayodhya temple donation theft case rages, the Sindhi community from Pimpri on Wednesday sought to know the whereabouts of their 200 silver bricks worth over Rs 2 crore. The community had donated the silver bricks on January 26, 2021.

“’Now that the news of theft of donation has come to light, we are concerned about the donation of silver bricks made by the Sindhi community from Pimpri,” Manohar Jethwani, president of Sidhu Seva Sangam, Pune district, told The Indian Express today.

Jethwani said they are demanding that a thorough investigation should be conducted into the donation theft issue and the facts should be brought to light. “It is not that we donated some 10-20 silver bricks. Collectively, the Sindhi community donated 210 silver bricks. This was the COVID time and everyone was hard-pressed. Yet since it involved the issue of faith, the Sindhi community members stepped forward with great alacrity to make the donations,” he said.

Jethwani said they had got the silver bricks specially prepared from a prominent jeweller from Mumbai. It had cost them over Rs 2 crore.

“Each brick weighed one kg and was made with great precision. The moment you come across them, the bricks keep the viewer glued to it which highlights its attractive look. Each brick carried the image of Jhulelal, our diety,” he said.

Jethwani said when they heard that the temple offerings had been stolen, they were deeply shocked and hurt. Jethwani said they had handed the donations to the Champat Rai, the general secretary Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on January 26, 2021.

When contacted, Raju V Manwani, international chairman of Vishwa Sindhu Seva Sangam said when they donated the silver bricks, Champat Rai and other trustees said the receipt would be given at a later date. “We were told by the trustees that they would verify the quality of the bricks, then receipt would be provided…Besides, we were told that they would also inform us as to where the bricks where exactly used in the temple. In last five years, we have not been told anything about the bricks donated,” Manwani said.

Nearly 100-150 Sindhi community members had gone Mumbai to Lucknow by plane, he added. “From Lucknow we went to Ayodhya by private vehicle. Our meeting with the trustees was held between 3 and 5 pm on January 26. We have several photographs of the donations made,” he said.

Jethwani said the setting up of the SIT to probe the matter as a good development. ”It will certainly give us some relief but we need to know what happened to the silver bricks,” he said.