Claim
Avinash Shukla, a resident of Pratapgarh, was selling water from a cart near the Ram Mandir until three months ago before being placed in the offering-counting work.
“अविनाश शुक्ला प्रतापगढ़ का रहने वाला है। यह शख्स 3 महीने पहले तक राम मंदिर के पास ठेला लगाकर पानी बेचता था।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
Multiple independent outlets corroborate the claim's core facts as of the broadcast date: Avinash Shukla is from Pratapgarh district, he sold water near Hanuman Gufa close to the Ram Mandir before joining the temple's donation-counting section around March 2026 (roughly three months before the July 1, 2026 broadcast). The 'cart' (ठेला) detail and exact timeline rest on witness accounts that media note are not officially confirmed, and some reports also describe him as a low-paid primary school teacher, so confidence is high but not absolute.
Evidence
- https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/family-of-ram-temple-donation-embezzlement-accused-seeks-fair-probe Identifies Avinash Shukla as a resident of Babupur Nariyawan village, Maheshganj police station, Pratapgarh district, arrested in the Ram temple donation embezzlement case; he was removed from counting duty on June 5, 2026. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/from-selling-water-to-ram-temple-theft-accused-20-lakh-cash-recovery-raises-fresh-questions Reports that before joining the Ram Temple's donation counting section in March 2026 (about three months before the broadcast), Shukla reportedly sold water near Hanuman Gufa in Ayodhya; his brother's temple connections reportedly helped him get the counting job. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/ayodhya/ram-mandir-offering-theft-avinash-used-to-sell-water-before-landing-a-job-at-the-ram-mandir-read-the-major-r-2026-07-02 Witness at the yoga center says Avinash sold water near Hanuman Gufa before getting the Ram Mandir counting job; notes these accounts lack official confirmation. ✓ reachable · archived