‘Will speak after final SIT report’: Champat Rai’s first reaction on Ram Temple embezzlement row

Ayodhya: Champat Rai, the former Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary at the centre of controversy over alleged embezzlement of chadhava (offerings) at the Ram Temple, said on Tuesday that he has taken a “vow of silence” and will speak out after the final Special Investigation Team (SIT) report is out.

Champat Rai, one of the veteran VHP functionaries behind the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, chose the digital space to break his silence on the donation theft controversy.

Taking to X, he shared a handwritten note with a cryptic message: “Patience, righteousness, friends, and women… in times of calamity, they are the four tested true”.

In his letter, he said that there have been widespread speculations and detailed discussions ever since the June 7 disclosure of alleged theft from the temple’s donation boxes.

He said that there have been multiple allegations levelled against him, but he has taken a vow of silence and chosen not to comment on any of these charges.

He, however, stated that once the SIT submits its final report into the alleged misappropriation of cash offerings and other valuables from the temple, he will speak out and address all the allegations levelled against him in detail.

He also lamented over the fact that the SIT’s initial report, which was submitted to the Ram Janmabhoomi Kshetra Trust at the July 6 meeting, was “highly confidential” and was meant to be kept secret, but that got leaked and now remains in the public domain.

“I have dedicated my life towards Ram Janmabhoomi movement and have been associated with the holy city since 1991. My whole life is like an open book and every aspect of life in all these years has been before everyone to see.”

This marks Champat Rai’s first official statement, about twenty-four hours after the Temple Trust accepted his resignation during the marathon meet in Ayodhya.

Alongside him, temple trustee Anil Mishra was also relieved of his designation and responsibility on moral grounds, even as the SIT’s final report is awaited.

The Trust, in its three-hour-long deliberations, also appointed Krishna Mohan as the interim General Secretary of the Trust, entrusting him with responsibility for the temple’s day-to-day affairs. A structural overhaul of the temple’s functioning is also expected.

The Trust is set to hold its next meet on July 22, by when the SIT is expected to submit its final report.

IANS