The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Wednesday appointed a former air marshal as its first chief executive officer (CEO) and inducted three new members as it attempted a major restructuring to move on from the swirling controversy over irregularities in donation collections at the Ram Temple .
The trust announced the formation of a three-member committee to identify a CEO, comprising retired judge Pramod Kohli, retired army lieutenant general Vishnukant Chaturvedi and National Institute of Technology Raipur chairman Suresh Haware. However, no decision could be taken on the position of spokesperson for the trust, added Mohan. Amid mounting criticism, on July 6, the Trust accepted the resignations of Rai as general secretary and Mishra as member, removed administrator Gopal Rao, and announced a three-member panel to appoint a new chief executive officer as it sought to restore its image. The committee submitted a panel of three candidates after AI-enabled screening of 5,585 applicants and 16 face-to-face interviews.
VHP international president Alok Kumar welcomed the appointment of Bhagchandka, describing him as a “frontline soldier” of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. “Out of three names shortlisted by the search committee, the trust selected former Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra for the CEO’s post,” said former interim general secretary Krishna Mohan after the meeting. The two other shortlisted candidates were former Major General Sanjay Pratap Singh and WHO Shruti Bharadwaj, Krishna Mohan said.
The BJP welcomed the appointment of retired Air Marshal Mishra as the CEO, stressing the Trust operates independently. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav asked why employees arrested in the alleged temple donation theft case were still in jail while senior officials had been given a clean chit. The donation theft controversy first surfaced on June 7 when Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan ‘Pawan’ Pandey alleged that donations worth ₹ 5 crore to ₹ 7.5 crore were siphoned off from temple offerings. On June 13, the state government set up the first SIT comprising Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Panth, inspector general of police (Lucknow range) Kiran S and special secretary (finance) Neel Ratan).
BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP and former deputy Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma said, “Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is an independent body and its decisions uphold religious sentiments without outside interference. “New committees are being formed and a new CEO is being appointed, but what has the government done against those who committed the earlier wrongdoing?” he said. Earlier reporting noted: Upon learning of Bhagchandka’s appointment, VHP international president Alok Kumar welcomed the move, describing him as a “frontline soldier” of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
Rajya Sabha MP Ramjilal Suman (SP) also questioned the government’s action against those allegedly involved in the earlier irregularities. Earlier reporting noted: IAF veteran, Delhi businessman, lawyer, RSS worker: Meet Ram Temple Trust’s new faces The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has overhauled its leadership, appointing a retired Air Marshal as its first chief executive officer (CEO) and bringing in three new trustees as it seeks to strengthen its administration amid allegations of irregularities in donation collections at the Ram Temple. Earlier reporting noted: The Delhi-based businessman also heads the Ashok Singhal Foundation and is related to former Vishwa Hindu Parishad president Ashok Singhal.
