Stolen lights on Ayodhya Ram Path: Admin says they were 'probably never installed'

Ayodhya: The Ayodhya administration on Wednesday said it will book two contractors for "cheating" as they "probably never installed" the around 3,800 bamboo and 36 projector lights worth over Rs 50 lakh which they claimed were stolen from Bhakti Path and Ram Path in a high-security area here.

An FIR was lodged at the Ram Janmabhoomi Police Station on August 9 on the theft complaint of Yash Enterprises and Krishna Automobiles, which set up the lights under a contract awarded by the Ayodhya Development Authority, police said.

While Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav slammed the BJP-led state government over law and order in the holy town, Ayodhya Commissioner and Chairman of Ayodhya Development Authority Gaurav Dayal said the matter was being probed.

"We have decided to lodge an FIR against the contractors on charges of cheating the government," he said.

The Ayodhya administration claimed that the lights were "probably never installed." According to the FIR, one of the firms became aware of the theft in May but filed the complaint only on August 9.

"As many as 6,400 bamboo lights were installed on Ram Path and 96 projector lights on Bhakti Path. Till March 19, all the lights were there but after an inspection on May 9, it was found that some lights were missing," Shekhar Sharma, a representative of one of the firms, said in the complaint.

"Till now around 3,800 bamboo lights and 36 projector lights have been stolen by some unknown thieves," he added.

Ayodhya was refurbished under a major project ahead of the January 22 Ram temple consecration ceremony this year.

Akhilesh Yadav took to social media to slam the government over the "brazen" theft.

"Thieves have disrupted the law and order situation in UP-Ayodhya. The BJP government means 'Andher Nagari' (city of lawlessness). Today's Ayodhya says it does not want BJP," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister posted on X in Hindi.