Ayodhya, July 6 (IANS) Days after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s General Secretary Champat Rai and Trustee Anil Mishra tendered their resignations over “chanda chori” (theft of donations) by the counting staff, their resignations were accepted during the marathon meet of the Trust on Monday.

Krishna Mohan has been appointed as the acting General Secretary of the trust to ensure the smooth conduct of operations till a full-fledged appointment is made for the post.

Trust Treasurer, Swami Govind Dev Giri, briefing the press after the meeting, said that both Champat Rai and Mishra have been relieved of their positions and added that Krishna Mohan, a new member of the Trust, has been made the interim General Secretary.

He said that the theft of offerings was deeply distressing and hurtful for the entire Trust and for the devotees of Lord Ram, and it was against this backdrop that the Trust members met to reflect upon the theft incident.

He remarked that since millions of people have made sacrifices for the temple’s construction, such an incident is hurtful to everyone.

“Champat Rai himself decided to step down, reasoning that it would be inappropriate for him to remain in the post until the accused in the theft case were arrested and punished,” he stated.

The Treasurer, citing the Temple Trust’s constitution, said that senior trustee K. Parasaran clarified that it mandates the acceptance of an office-bearer’s resignation immediately upon its submission.

“It was on this ground that the resignations of both Champat Rai and Anil Mishra were accepted,” he said.

He also acknowledged the significant role Champat Rai has played from the inception of the Trust and the commencement of temple construction to the present day.

Govind Dev Giri, addressing questions on the theft incident, said that several claims were circulating on social media and other platforms suggesting that several religious artefacts had gone missing from the temple but stated that these claims are misleading and far from reality.

He stated that the Temple Trust maintains a duly registered record of approximately 2,800 religious and historical artefacts, including the Ramayan and Charan Paduka (sacred footwear).

“These records will be made public if the need arises,” he asserted.

He also informed that the Trust has constituted a small committee to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.

Notably, the special meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was convened ahead of the scheduled date. The Trust will meet again on July 22, where it will deliberate on the SIT findings, likely to be submitted by then.

–IANS

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