Eight persons named in an FIR over the alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya have been arrested, senior officials said on Friday.Amid the police action, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai and member Anil Mishra stepped down from their positions.The eight accused were produced in a court, which sent them to police custody till June 29. Among them was Ram Shankar Yadav, alias Tinnu Yadav, who is said to be a former driver of Champat Rai. Others named in the FIR were Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava. They were associated with the process of counting cash and valuables received as donations at the temple, an official said.The FIR, lodged at the instance of Krishna Mohan, a member of the Trust, follows recommendations made in the preliminary report of a special investigation team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh Government to probe the allegations.The SIT had flagged serious lapses in the handling and monitoring of donations offered by devotees. It has been alleged that while some employees involved in the counting blocked the view of CCTV cameras, others stole cash and hid it in their clothing.The names of some of the accused had been circulating on social media ever since Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav raised the issue on June 7, after which it snowballed into a major political controversy, with the VHP (Champat Rai is its vice-president) and the Aam Aadmi Party also demanding registration of a criminal case.Akhilesh on Friday said the BJP’s Lanka episode would unfold right in Ayodhya. “The mask of the ‘donation devotees’ has finally come off because the Lord’s divine power has worked its miracle. Now, the glittering empire of Lanka built on the arrogance of BJP loyalists will also meet its end…. For the BJP, the Amrit Kaal has turned into a dark age,” he posted on X.Addressing a gathering in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “Tampering with people’s faith cannot be tolerated… accused will have to face the consequences.”AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal appealed for a social boycott of the accused, terming the issue a “dharm yuddh”. He vowed not to rest until those responsible were “hanged”.Taking a swipe at Adityanath, he claimed the accused were also conspiring to unseat the UP CM. “I want to tell the CM that these ‘donation thieves’ are plotting to remove you as well. They are after your chair. Why are you standing with people who have committed such a grave sin? These ‘donation thieves’, these demons should be publicly hanged,” Kejriwal told reporters in Ayodhya. (With PTI inputs)