Pratapgarh: The family of Avinash Shukla, one of the eight people arrested in connection with the alleged theft of offerings from the Ram temple in Ayodhya, has said that he should be "punished if found guilty, but must get justice if he is innocent".Avinash, a resident of Babupur Nariyawan village under Maheshganj police station limits in Pratapgarh district, was arrested in the case.Officials said Avinash was involved in the cash reconciliation process carried out after each counting round, and is believed to have participated actively in the alleged misappropriation in the Ram temple donation.Read More: Arrest Ram Temple trustees: CongressPolice had on Tuesday questioned accused Avinash inside the district jail after obtaining court permission, sources said.They said that the trust had recovered Rs 20 lakh from Shukla on June 5.His father, Ram Sajeevan Shukla, said Avinash had been living in Ayodhya with his elder brother Abhishek for about a year.Abhishek has been working as a teacher in a primary school in Ayodhya since 2021."The family had hoped that both brothers would improve our financial condition, but everything has changed now," he said.An emotional Ram Sajeevan Shukla said people in the village and among relatives were asking questions about the case."The court will decide the matter. Lord Ram will judge everyone's deeds," he said.Avinash's mother, Mithlesh, said the family had raised their children with values of honesty."If he has committed any mistake, he should be punished. If he is innocent, he should get justice," she said.The family has five sons, three of whom are engaged in farming in the village.They own around 14 bighas of agricultural land. While the sons live in a pucca house, the elderly parents continue to reside in a kutcha house.The case has become a subject of discussion in the area, with some expressing sympathy for the family while others awaiting the outcome of the investigation.The family said it respects the law and wants a fair and impartial investigation. "If Avinash is guilty, action should be taken against him. If he is innocent, he should get justice," the family said, adding that it was now waiting for the judicial process to take its course.The controvery erupted on June 7 after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged embezzlement of donations at Ram temple, a charge that was dismissed by the temple trust.Read More: Eight accused in Ayodhya Ram temple donation theft case sent to 14-day judicial custodyUttar Pradesh government constituted a SIT on June 13 to probe the allegations.Following the submission of the preliminary SIT report on June 23, an FIR was registered on June 25 and eight accused, Avinash, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, were arrested.