Ram Temple Trust accepts Champat Rai's resignation: Report

Amid an ongoing probe into the alleged theft of funds donated to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday accepted the resignation of Champat Rai. Bajrang Bagra may replace Rai as the general secretary of the trust, sources said. The high-level meeting, led by Trust President Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, was shifted from Mani Ram Das Chhawani to Ram Mandir complex due to the increased security arrangements and the expected presence of a large media presence. Champat Rai and Anil Mishra were absent from the proceedings.
Rai had tendered his resignation on June 26 as the probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations picked up pace, with the police arresting eight people, including his driver, Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, a day earlier. Besides Rai, Anil Mishra, one of the trustees of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, had also resigned. Though the duo were linked to the donation theft row, no criminal case has been registered against either of them.
Bagra is the International General Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a chartered accountant and former head of PSU NALCO, and is seen as someone with the administrative and financial expertise to help professionalise the Trust's functioning. The final decision on the new General Secretary may take time. The VHP’s national executive meeting scheduled in Delhi on July 19–20 will likely discuss key organisational changes, including transfers and appointments.