The Ayodhya Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has accepted the resignation of its General Secretary, Champat Rai, following the controversy surrounding the alleged siphoning of donations made to the Ram temple.
Sources said Bajrang Bagra has emerged as one of the leading contenders to replace Rai. Currently serving as the International General Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bagra is a chartered accountant and former head of PSU NALCO. He is regarded as having the administrative and financial experience needed to strengthen and professionalise the Trust's operations.
According to sources, the Trust is looking to appoint someone with a strong background in governance, finance and institutional administration as it prepares for its next phase of functioning.
Sources further indicated that Champat Rai is likely to remain a trustee unless he decides otherwise.
The appointment of the next General Secretary is not expected to be announced immediately. The VHP's biannual national executive meeting is slated for July 19-20 in Delhi, where major organisational matters, including transfers, are expected to be discussed.
Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra submitted their resignations after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath adopted a firm position on the donation theft allegations and the Special Investigating Team probing the case submitted its preliminary findings.
The initial report stated that temple employees assigned to count cash donations allegedly stole money despite the presence of CCTV cameras, as the recorded footage was not monitored regularly. Reports indicate that nearly Rs 7-7.5 crore is unaccounted for.
Among the eight individuals arrested in connection with the case is Ram Shankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu Yadav, who served as Champat Rai's driver.
Sources said Rai has informed his close associates that Tinnu Yadav is the central figure in the donation theft case. "Tinnu Yadav took advantage of his trust to carry out the fraud," Rai has told people close to him. When he was about to get caught, he leaked information to a Samajwadi leader, sources said.
The remaining accused already in police custody are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, and Subhash Srivastava.
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