Financial Irregularities at Bahraich Dargah: BJP Leader Demands SIT Probe into Two Decades of Alleged Corruption

BJP Minority Morcha’s Kunwar Basit Ali has sought a high-level investigation into the management of the Dargah Hazrat Sayyad Salar Masud Ghazi, alleging a multi-crore embezzlement spanning 20 years.

The historic Dargah Hazrat Sayyad Salar Masud Ghazi in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, has become the center of a fresh controversy. Kunwar Basit Ali, the state president of the BJP Minority Morcha, has formally petitioned Chief Minister Yogi आदित्यनाथ, alleging a systematic financial rot that he claims has persisted for two decades. The accusations bring under the scanner not just the current management, but a long list of former administrators and political figures associated with the shrine’s oversight.

The allegations, as detailed in the formal request, go beyond simple mismanagement. Ali has claimed that funds derived from offerings, rental income from shops, and various contracts have been siphoned off systematically. He has specifically demanded a probe into the tenures of former president Shamshad Ahmed, current president Bakaullah, manager Alimul Haq, and former Samajwadi Party MLA Yasir Shah. The petition calls for a deep dive into land transactions, potential benami properties, and a suspicious 2005 robbery case, alongside a more recent allegation of a ₹1.02 crore shortfall in the 2024-25 contract awards.

Seeking Accountability

The demand for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) reflects a broader push for administrative transparency within Waqf-managed properties. Ali’s letter urges the state government to conduct a physical verification of the gold and silver offerings—a move intended to reconcile the actual donations with the recorded accounts. Furthermore, he has requested that all Waqf-owned lands and shops, currently allegedly registered in private names, be reclaimed and re-entered under the official Waqf ledger to ensure their long-term protection.

This development surfaced as a primary point of discussion in various regional media outlets, following reports from sources like news18 and other platforms. While the original article that first reported these claims underscores the gravity of the charges, the political implications are equally significant. The timing, coinciding with broader debates over the management of religious offerings elsewhere in the country, suggests that the governance of shrine finances is becoming a highly sensitive issue in Uttar Pradesh’s political discourse.

Why It Matters: A Pattern of Governance

The significance of this episode lies in the growing scrutiny of how religious trusts and Waqf boards manage vast financial resources. When internal management systems are questioned, it often triggers a wider conversation about the necessity for external oversight and digital auditing. By calling for an SIT probe, the BJP leadership is signaling a shift toward more stringent, state-led verification of religious assets. For the public, the stakes are about institutional trust; for the administration, it is a test of whether it can enforce accountability without escalating sectarian friction. Whether this leads to a formal investigation remains to be seen, but the demand has certainly put the spotlight on the necessity for transparent audit trails in long-standing religious institutions.