In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh demanded that the matter be investigated by an independent Central agency — the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate, or any other competent authority.

He urged that the findings should be made public to strengthen devotees’ faith in the temple trust.

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“Ram temple is the centre of faith, devotion and belief of crores of Hindus. Worshippers from across the country and abroad make donations according to their devotion,” Singh said.

He said that if the allegations of irregularities are found to be true, it would not only amount to an economic offence but would also deeply hurt the religious sentiments of millions of Ram devotees.

“Strict action should be taken against those found guilty,” he said.

On Sunday, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had alleged that crores of rupees from donations made at the Ram temple were missing and called for judicial intervention.

“The government’s silence is suspicious,” Yadav had said.

Amid the controversy, Ram Temple Building Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Mishra arrived in Ayodhya on Tuesday and held a nearly four-hour closed-door meeting within the Ram temple complex.

According to sources, the meeting was attended by Ram Temple Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and other trust members.

Mishra’s sudden visit assumes significance as he was originally scheduled to attend a review meeting in Ayodhya on June 13. With escalation of the controversy, his programme was reportedly advanced, and he arrived without a prior public announcement.

Meanwhile, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and individuals associated with it maintained distance from the media.

Trust members appeared to avoid interactions with journalists amid growing public attention over the allegations.

The Trust has not issued any official statement as yet.

In his response to Akhilesh Yadav’s allegations, the Trust’s General Secretary Champat Rai had said that internal audits were underway and no evidence supporting the allegations had emerged so far.

Rai said representatives of the Trust and the State Bank of India were involved in the audit, which is conducted periodically and takes several days.

Yadav had called the Trust’s clarification vague and demanded that all its members come together to explain the matter. He also suggested examining CCTV footage to verify the donation amount.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has placed about four dozen donation boxes at several places in front of the Ram temple and other temples, and along the entire darshan route.

Money from these boxes is collected daily.

The Trust has authorised the SBI to count cash. The SBI, in turn, has engaged a private agency for counting.