The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday accepted the resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra. It appointed newly inducted trustee Krishna Mohan as Interim General Secretary and announced a fresh administrative review to address the fallout from the alleged donation theft case.
The decisions were taken during a meeting lasting more than three hours inside the Ram Janmabhoomi complex in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya. The Trust said it would meet again on July 22 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 said 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.
Govind Giri said Champat Rai and Anil Mishra had submitted their resignations before the meeting. Rai felt it would not be appropriate to continue as General Secretary until those responsible for the alleged theft were identified and punished. The Trust had little discretion because its constitution treats a resignation as effective the moment it is submitted.
Govind Giri praised Rai’s contribution to the Ram Mandir movement. The Trust entrusted the responsibilities of General Secretary to Krishna Mohan, a retired Indian Forest Service officer from the Maharashtra cadre and a native of Hardoi district in Uttar Pradesh, until further arrangements are made.
Govind Giri rejected claims that valuables donated to the temple had gone missing. The Trust maintains a register of around 2,800 donated articles and displayed several items, including a gold Ramayana and the symbolic footprints of Lord Ram, to show all items remain accounted for.
The Trust formed a small committee to recommend administrative improvements. It will meet again on July 22, when it expects the SIT’s final report to be available.
