Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai was placed under house arrest and taken into custody at an Ayodhya hotel.
His wife, Reena Rai, released a video statement alleging the family has not been informed of his whereabouts and fears for his safety.
Rai was scheduled to visit the Ram temple to raise issues regarding the alleged embezzlement of temple donations.
Police Detain Ajay Rai Before Planned Ayodhya Temple Visit
Police blocked a high-level Congress delegation's planned visit to the Ram temple on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 which included Ajay Rai and MPs Kishori Lal Sharma, Rakesh Rathor, Ujjwal Raman Singh and Tanuj Punia
Summary
Police has placed Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai under house arrest at a guest house in Acharya Narendra Dev University and took him into custody ahead of a planned visit to the temple. The action prevented a scheduled visit by a Congress delegation led by Rai to raise issues regarding the alleged misappropriation of temple donations.
His wife, Reena Rai, released a video statement late Monday night expressing concern for his safety. Ayodhya Police have not issued an official response yet.
"Today, when he was staying at a hotel in Ayodhya, he was taken into custody. We have not been informed where he has been taken. The family is worried, and we fear for his safety," she said.
Crackdown on Congress
Police blocked the high-level Congress delegation's planned visit to the Ram temple on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 which also included MPs Kishori Lal Sharma, Rakesh Rathor, Ujjwal Raman Singh and Tanuj Punia.
"We all intended to visit Ayodhya to seek the blessings of Lord Shri Ram. We had formed a delegation led by me to offer prayers and seek darshan. We also wanted to pray to the Lord regarding the disrepute brought to this holy site by the RSS and BJP through the theft of offerings and donations, as well as land scams...Our colleagues and I were placed under house arrest...Around 11:30 PM, the police forcibly arrested us and brought us to the guest house of Acharya Narendra Dev University,” Rai said in a video statement.
The crackdown extended beyond Ayodhya. Police detained Pratapgarh district Congress president Neeraj Tripathi and stopped former Rajya Sabha MP A.P. Gautam at his Barabanki residence to prevent him from joining the delegation, The Hindu reported.secre
Donation Scam Allegations
The Ram temple donation controversy involves allegations against cash-counting personnel. Personnel allegedly siphoned off cash, gold and silver offerings by manipulating cash bundles and deliberately obstructing CCTV cameras.
Advertisement
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) recovered ₹79.85 lakh from eight arrested cash-counting staff by June 2026. Police registered an FIR on the complaint of Trust member Krishna Mohan.
Fallout from the alleged donation scam compelled senior ranking officials of the trust, incuding general secretary Champat Rai.
Published At: