Skip next section Ram Mandir donations must be disclosed, as temple trust gets legal notice June 18, 2026
Ram Mandir donations must be disclosed, as temple trust gets legal notice
Thousands of devotees visit the temple everyday with donations of cash, grains, even gold and silver Image: ANI The trust overseeing the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya was served a legal notice on Thursday seeking disclosures on donations received and how they were spent, amid allegations of fraud.
The notice demands that the trust provides a complete, itemized, and year-wise account of donations to the temple and expenditures for the last five financial years, the Times of India reported. The notice was filed by a rival party leader.
The Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir is a mammoth temple built under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist government and has been central to the Bharatiya Janata Party's campaign to establish India as a 'Hindu rashtriya,' aka land of Hindus.
While Hindus make the make up about 80% of the country's population, India's constitution terms it as a secular nation where state and religion are separated.
The temple, built in place of the Babri mosque , which was demolished in 1992, remains a pain point for Muslim minorities and a point of pride for Modi's supporters.
Allegations of donation fraud are casting a shadow on that pride.
Last week, the temple's trust welcomed Uttar Pradesh’s decision to open a special investigation into the matter, saying it would restore their credibility. The trustees claim the allegations are meant to malign the temple and hurt the religious sentiments of millions of devotees.
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Skip next section Family of killed India sailor holds US responsible June 18, 2026
Family of killed India sailor holds US responsible
Sushila said the family had sold their land for Chaurasia's education to become a sailor Image: Richard Kujur/DW In the farming village of Sirauli in Deoria district, eastern Uttar Pradesh, time seems to have stopped. There is a pall of grief that has gripped this village. Outside a small, unplastered brick house, relatives sit on plastic chairs in the summer heat with questions about Shivanand Chaurasia's death still lingering. Inside, Chaurasia’s wife Sushila and his mother have barely eaten in a week.
He left home around eight months ago to work for a foreign shipping company as a fitter engineer. He was one of three Indian sailors killed in a US strike near the Strait of Hormuz.
His death has devastated the family. For the last nine days, they have been waiting for his body to arrive. They spend their days desperately waiting for a phone call, or a sign that tell them that the body is on its way home.
The grief is now turning into anger directed at politicians and their silence over the death of their son. Sirauli lies in the wider Gorakhpur region, the political stronghold of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Chaurasia's wife is demanding compensation, among other things Image: Richard Kujur/DW
Relatives say no senior leader has visited the family to give condolence. They hold the US responsible for the killing of Shivanand. "Modi is quiet because he cannot take a stand for poor people like us in front of Trump," Chaurasia's wife told DW.
Watch out for the full DW video and story, which will be out on our website soon.
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Skip next section Testing Agency tells NEET students to keep calm June 18, 2026
Testing Agency tells NEET students to keep calm
The National Testing Agency (NTA), a body responsible for public entrance exams in India, told India's NEET-UG students to "stay calm, rest well, and focus," ahead of the controversial retest.
The agency is at the center of the controversy which has unfolded since the NEET-UG, an all-India pre-medical entrance test, was canceled after the question paper was leaked.
Students, their parents, and critics have acccused the NTA of corruption and allegedly running cheating networks. Some have called for the body to be dismantled altogether.
"The difficult decision taken on May 3 was made solely in your interest. The moment a problem was identified, we acted to protect the fairness of the process for every sincere candidate. We have carried those lessons forward and strengthened the system further this time," the agency said in a post on X.
It asked students not to get swayed by rumors of a delay in the retest and assured them that the test's integrity was their highest priority.
The agency's advice and claims of integrity did not sit well with many in the replies online. Some users claimed that the retest papers would likely be leaked, too. Some suggested it focus on its job to keep the question papers safe.
Others pleaded that the exam be postponed by a month as they were still recovering from the stress of the latest attempt being canceled.
"Every year it's the same promises: 'safe, secure and fair.' Students want results, not S…
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