A representative of a company in Ayodhya has registered a case with Ram Janmbhoomi police station that as many as 3,800 bamboo lights and 36 projector lights installed on Bhakti Path and Ram Path have allegedly been stolen.

The case was registered online on August 9 but police revealed it to the media on Tuesday evening.

Shekhar Sharma, who has identified himself as a permanent resident of Hisar, Haryana, and an agent of Yash Enterprises and Krishna Automobiles in Ayodhya — which set up the lights under a contract awarded by the Ayodhya Development Authority — has also stated in the report that as many as 6,400 bamboo lights were installed on Ram Path and 96 projector lights put up on Bhakti Path. Although he has not mentioned the cost of the stolen electrical items in the FIR, sources in the police claimed that he has assessed a loss of ₹50 lakh to the company.

Ram Path and Bhakti Path are high-security zones in Ayodhya town because of the Ram temple and frequent movement of VIPs.

Dubbing it “fishy”, Gaurav Dayal, divisional commissioner of Ayodhya, told reporters on Wednesday: “There are some exaggerations in the case. There were some ornamental lights put up on trees and those patches where there was not much light. It was a very difficult task to hang lights (a bulb placed inside a frame of bamboo sticks) on the trees. We don’t think it would be possible to steal them on such a big scale when there was so much security in the area round the clock.”

“We are conducting an inquiry into the complaint but it appears that so many lights or projectors were never hung there,” he said.

“According to the agreement, it was also the responsibility of the agency and its local contractor to ensure its upkeep and security for one year. The payment to the contractor is still pending.”

Sharma has stated in his police report: “All the lights were in place till April 19, 2024, but about 3,800 bamboo lights and 36 Gobo Projector Lights were found missing during a survey on May 9, 2024.”

Devendra Pandey, investigating officer of the case, said: “We have registered an FIR against unidentified thieves and are conducting a probe into it. The complainant
has neither mentioned the cost of the stolen items nor the reason behind the late filing of the FIR.”