Why were fingers pointed at Champat Rai in the Ram Temple offering theft case? Know the whole story here

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra General Secretary Champat Rai and Trust member Dr. Anil Mishra have resigned in the case of theft of Ram temple offerings. Champat Rai’s resignation has just happened on moral grounds. When SIT reached Ram temple in Ayodhya to investigate, Champat Rai was the first person to be interrogated. In the SIT investigation so far, Champat Rai has not been found directly guilty but no one has been given a clean chit either. After the Supreme Court’s decision in 2019, Champat Rai was made the General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. There were 15 people in this trust. These include Trust President Nritya Gopal Das, General Secretary Champat Rai, Vimalendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, known as the King of Ayodhya (now dead), Dr. Anil Mishra, Mahant Dinendra Das of Nirmohi Akhara. At the same time, DM of Ayodhya is an ex-officio member.

Nritya Gopal Das was made the chairman of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Nritya Gopal Das remains very ill, he does not have much interference in the work of the Trust, he only attends big functions. Mahant Dinendra Das of Nirmohi Akhara also only attends the trust meetings, he also has no role. Vimalendra Mohan Pratap Mishra also used to go only to the trust meetings as long as he was alive, he had nothing to do with anything else. The DM of Ayodhya also does not have much interference in the daily work of Ram temple. Trust General Secretary Champat Rai used to look after all the work of the temple and Dr. Anil Mishra used to stay with Champat Rai all the time.

Champat Rai, once a chemistry teacher, was in VHP since 1980 and was associated with the Ram Mandir movement. Champat Rai used to give many documents and evidence to the team of lawyers in the case of Ram Janmabhoomi, first in the High Court and then in the Supreme Court. He lives in Karsevak Puram, Ayodhya. VHP International President Ashok Singhal once used to live in the hut of Karsevak Puram where Champat Rai lives.

Ever since the construction of the temple started, it was under the supervision of Champat Rai. Champat Rai used to give every single information about the construction of the temple in the trust meeting held in Ayodhya. All the ceremonies related to the construction of the temple, be it the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony of 2020 or the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of 2024, all took place under the supervision of Champat Rai. Champat Rai used to make the list of who should be invited to the function and who should not.

When Ram temple was built and lakhs of devotees started coming and offerings started coming, everything from collection to counting of offerings was under Champat Rai’s eyes. It is alleged that people very close to Champat Rai were involved in the collection and counting of offerings. The bank hired outsourced employees from a private company to count the offerings. Allegations were made that people were kept without investigation on the recommendation of Champat Rai and Dr. Anil Mishra. Champat Rai was the most powerful person in the temple, so he was once his driver and his close friend Tinnu Yadav also became a servant in the temple. Because Tinnu Yadav was close to Champat Rai, he came to be known as the undeclared surveyor of the temple.

Tinnu Yadav had the keys of all the donation boxes, the keys of all the lockers of the collection centre, where the donations were counted, etc. Not only this, when the cash was filled in boxes from the collection center and went to be deposited in the bank, it was the responsibility of Tinnu to take it to the bank. Tinnu Yadav employed his nephew Manish Yadav to count the offerings.

The big question is that when Champat Rai was in charge of the temple, not even a leaf could move there without his consent, then how did theft of offerings keep happening in the temple premises? After the issue was raised, the first statement came from Champat Rai that the audit is going on but no irregularities have been found. After this statement, it is alleged that Champat Rai along with his staff and his security reached the Rudauli house of Luvkush Mishra, who was arrested along with the Ayodhya Police. 10 lakh rupees were recovered from the dung heap there. Cash from other people’s houses was also recovered only after Champat Rai told them. Now it is being said why Champat Rai did not lodge an FIR in this matter? Why did he want to save the accused?

Trust member Dr. Anil Mishra has also resigned on moral grounds. Anil Mishra was the chief host of the Pran Pratistha ceremony of 2024. Very close to Champat Rai, was always seen behind Champat Rai. He is a homeopathy doctor by profession. Dr. Anil Mishra was in charge of the collection center for the offerings of Ram Temple, where the offerings are counted and from where they are bundled and sent to the bank. Anil Mishra has been associated with RSS for a long time.

It is being said that collection center in-charge Subhash Chandra Srivastava lived on rent in Anil Mishra’s house and got the job only on the recommendation of Anil Mishra. Most of the theft took place from the collection center itself. Not only small thefts took place here, bundles of Rs 100 notes were made and then a bundle of ten bundles was made and then kept in a box and sent to the bank. According to sources, investigation has revealed that here more than 100 notes were kept in bundles of 100 rupee notes and instead of ten bundles, more bundles were kept which were taken out on the way to the bank. Now Anil Mishra was in charge of the collection centre, so he is also under suspicion.