Ayodhya: Amid the raging embezzlement row in the Ayodhya temple, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has accepted the resignation of its General Secretary Champat Rai, signalling that the body entrusted with the day-to-day affairs of the temple was ready to do away with its wishy washy approach in the donation fiasco and take firm action for alleged theft.
The Trust members met for over three hours on Monday.
Champat Rai, along with trustee Anil Mishra, had offered resignation after the alleged siphoning of temple donations snowballed into a big controversy.
According to many insiders, Champat Rai’s resignation has been accepted by the temple trust and his successor has been picked.
Champat Rai was not named in the FIR, nor was any case lodged against them over the alleged theft, but the move is seen as the ‘first step’ towards fixing accountability for the grossly amoral activity that took place under his watch. The acceptance of his resignation seems to be largely driven by matters of moral probity and propriety.
Notably, the transition in the temple trust comes at a time when it is under increased scrutiny over large-scale irregularities in the maintenance of temple donations, with both police and Special Investigation (SIT) conducting separate probes.
The SIT submitted its initial report recently, and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had promised firm action against perpetrators.
The report gave an insight into how the cash counting staff violated all standard protocols, defied CCTV cameras and embezzled devotees’ offerings to the tune of Rs 7-8 crore. Eight suspects are behind bars for the alleged theft, one of whom is Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav – who served as the driver of Champat Rai.
The Opposition has been crying hoarse about the possible involvement of big fish, stating that such large-scale theft couldn’t be possible without the blessings of senior members.
(IANS)
