Ram Temple Trust Accepts Champat Rai's Resignation Amid Fund Misappropriation Probe
The Ayodhya Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has accepted the resignation of Champat Rai, its General Secretary, who stepped down following investigations into alleged misappropriation of donation funds.
Among the frontrunners to succeed Rai is Bajrang Bagra, sources said. Bagra is the International General Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a chartered accountant and former head of the public sector undertaking NALCO. He is seen as possessing the administrative and financial expertise to professionalise the Trust's functioning as it enters its next phase, according to sources.
Sources also indicated that Rai is expected to continue as a trustee unless he decides otherwise. A final decision on the new General Secretary may not be announced immediately. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad's biannual national executive meeting is scheduled for July 19-20 in Delhi, where key organisational decisions, including transfers, are expected.
Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra submitted their resignations after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took a strong stance on the donation theft matter. A Special Investigating Team that looked into the issue submitted a preliminary report detailing how temple staff responsible for counting cash donations allegedly stole money despite the installation of CCTV cameras, as the footage was not regularly reviewed. Reports suggest nearly Rs 7-7.5 crore is missing.
One of the eight people arrested in the case is Rai's driver, Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav. Sources said Rai has told close aides that Yadav is the main accused in the donation theft case. "Tinnu Yadav took advantage of his trust to carry out the fraud," Rai reportedly said. When Yadav was about to be caught, he leaked information to a Samajwadi Party leader, sources added.
The other accused in police custody are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, and Subhash Srivastava.
