Champat Rai resigns from Ram temple trust, Krishna Mohan is new interim chief

NEW DELHI, JULY 6 : The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday accepted the resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra, appointed newly inducted trustee Krishna Mohan as the Interim General Secretary and announced a fresh administrative review as it sought to address the fallout from the alleged donation theft case.

The decisions were taken during a meeting that lasted for more than three hours inside the Ram Janmabhoomi complex in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya. The Trust also announced that it would meet again on July 22, when it expects to review the Special Investigation Team’s final report and appoint new trustees and office-bearers.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Trust treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri admitted that the controversy had deeply hurt the organisation.

“We are all hurt and saddened by this. Whether the theft was small or large is secondary. What pains us is that such an atmosphere was allowed to develop here,” he said.

RESIGNATIONS TAKE EFFECT UNDER TRUST RULES

Govind Giri said Champat Rai and Anil Mishra had submitted their resignations before the meeting.

According to him, Rai felt it would not be appropriate to continue as General Secretary until those responsible for the alleged theft were identified and punished.

“Champat Rai was deeply pained. He felt that until the culprits are caught and receive appropriate punishment, it would not be proper for him to continue,” Govind Giri said.

He said the Trust had little discretion in the matter because its constitution treats a resignation as effective the moment it is submitted.

“Once the resignation had been tendered, the decision to accept or reject it was no longer in our hands. Under the Trust’s constitution, it is deemed accepted immediately. We had no other option,” he said.

Govind Giri also praised Rai’s contribution to the Ram Mandir movement.

“He has worked for the construction of the Ram Mandir from the very beginning. We accepted his resignation with respect for his years of service and the magnanimity he displayed in these circumstances,” he added.

KRISHNA MOHAN MADE INTERIM GENERAL SECRETARY

The Trust entrusted the responsibilities of General Secretary to newly appointed trustee Krishna Mohan until further arrangements are made.

Govind Giri said administrative appointments would be taken up at the next meeting after examining the SIT’s findings.

Krishna Mohan is a retired Indian Forest Service officer from the Maharashtra cadre. A native of Chandrapur village in Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh, he has been involved in social work since his retirement.

His appointment also ensures the continuation of Dalit representation within the Trust following the tenure of former trustee Kameshwar Chaupal.

‘ALL DONATED ITEMS ARE SAFE’

Responding to allegations that valuables donated to the temple had also gone missing, Govind Giri rejected the claims.

“We have brought the register containing records of all these items. We have a register listing around 2,800 donated items, and every one of them is safe,” he said.

He said the Trust had displayed five of the items that had been the subject of public discussion as samples and insisted that every donated article remained accounted for.

“All donated items are safe,” he said.

TRUST DISPLAYS DONATED ITEMS AT PRESS CONFERENCE

Seeking to counter allegations that valuables donated to the temple had gone missing, the Trust displayed several donated items during the press conference after the meeting.

Among the articles placed before the media were a gold Ramayana, the symbolic footprints of Lord Ram, a necklace and the idol of Kagbhusundi. Trust officials said these were among the items that had been alleged to be missing.

Govind Giri said the Trust maintains a register of around 2,800 donated articles and insisted that every item was accounted for.

“We have brought the register containing records of all these items. We have a register listing 2,800 donated items, and all of them are safe. We have displayed these items merely as samples. All donated items are safe,” he said.

SMALL COMMITTEE FORMS TO STRENGTHEN SYSTEM

Govind Giri said the Trust had constituted a small committee to recommend administrative improvements so that similar controversies do not arise in future.

“The work we undertake from now on will be carried out in such a manner that no one will be able to point to even the slightest lapse,” he said.

He added that appointments of administrative officials would also be taken up at the next meeting.

NEXT MEETING ON JULY 22

The Trust has scheduled its next meeting for July 22.

Govind Giri said the Trust expects the SIT’s final report to be available by then.

“We are meeting again on July 22. By then, the SIT’s detailed report should be available. We will deliberate on that report and appoint additional trustees and office-bearers,” he said.

TRUST SEEKS STRICT ACTION

Reiterating the Trust’s stand, Govind Giri said the alleged theft must be investigated thoroughly.

“Theft is theft. The SIT is investigating the matter, and that is the administration’s responsibility. We strongly want every accused, including anyone who may still be absconding, to be caught and punished,” he said.

MEETING ADVANCED AFTER DONATION ROW

The meeting had originally been scheduled for July 11, but was advanced to July 6 following the controversy.

Govind Giri said the meeting was attended by Trust chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Shankaracharya Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, Yug Purush Swami Parmanand, Pejawar seer Swami Vishwaprasannatirtha, trustee Krishna Mohan and Ayodhya District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi.

He described it as a “lengthy and successful session” attended with the required quorum.

GOVIND GIRI URGES DEVOTEES NOT TO BELIEVE ‘RUMOURS’

During the press conference, Govind Giri also hit out at critics of the Trust, alleging that attempts were being made to defame the Ram Mandir and divide devotees.

“Those who once fired upon Kar Sevaks and those who told the Supreme Court that Lord Ram never existed are now trying to lecture us on devotion to Ram. Their objective is to divide us and create a rift in our devotion. We will not allow that to happen,” he said.

Appealing to devotees not to believe what he called “baseless rhetoric”, Govind Giri invited members of the public to inspect the Trust’s records themselves.

“If you feel something is amiss or missing, come to the Trust’s office, inspect the records and judge for yourselves. Justice will prevail, the guilty will be punished, and we have full faith in the judicial system. My earnest appeal is: do not believe the rumours,” he said.

The meeting came amid an ongoing investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations offered at the Ram Mandir.

The Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team after alleged irregularities surfaced in June. An FIR was later registered, and multiple people associated with the counting of donations have been arrested.

The SIT is examining cash donations as well as offerings including gold, silver, jewellery and other valuables. Its final report is expected before the Trust’s next meeting on July 22.

-PTI