'People he trusted betrayed him': Govind Giri defends Champat Rai amid donations theft row

Ayodhya, Jul 6 (PTI) The treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Govind Dev Giri, on Monday defended its former general secretary Champat Rai amid a row over the latter’s alleged involvement in the embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying he was “betrayed” by the people he trusted. A meeting of the Trust on Monday accepted the resignations of Rai as its general secretary and Anil Mishra as its member in the wake of the donations theft row, and named trustee Krishna Mohan as its interim general secretary. After the meeting, Giri told reporters, “The trustees did not commit any betrayal. Rather, it was Champat Rai who was betrayed. We consider him an extremely noble person. But he trusted the wrong people and kept them with him for many years. It was those people who betrayed the Trust.” However, Giri admitted that there had been serious lapses in the supervision of the donation management process by Rai and Mishra. “That is absolutely correct. Their negligence and lack of vigilance continuing for such a long time is a serious matter. It should not have happened,” Giri said. Even while accepting Rai's resignation, the Trust unanimously appreciated his contributions to the Ram Mandir movement and the construction of the temple in Ayodhya. Giri defended the former general secretary, saying Rai remained “untainted” in his eyes. Describing Rai as a person who devoted his life to the Ram temple’s cause, Giri said his only mistake was that he trusted the wrong people. Rai resigned voluntarily, as he felt it would not be appropriate for him to continue as the general secretary until the investigation was complete and those responsible were brought to justice, Giri said. Giri also said that the Trust displayed several valuables donated at the temple before the media, which were earlier alleged to have been stolen. “A register of 2,800 items has been maintained. The five items that were being discussed, including a manuscript of Ramcharitmanas and a beautiful necklace offered to the deity, were displayed before the media. You must have seen them. Records of all such items are available and the authorised persons can examine them,” Giri said. He, however, acknowledged that donations theft did take place, and said the extent of the crime and those responsible would be determined by the investigators. “It is true that theft did take place. But how big it was and who committed the crime is for the investigating agencies to determine,” Giri said. Giri also said the Trust would undertake a complete overhaul of the donations management system at the Ram temple. Asked about allegations that money was taken for facilitating VIP darshan at the temple, Giri said he had heard such claims but could not confirm specific instances. “I cannot say that such things never happened. While no specific names have come before me, I have heard such allegations and they appear credible to me,” Giri said. Referring to the ongoing probe into the donations theft row, Giri said the interim report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been submitted, and a final report was awaited. “Whoever is found guilty must be punished,” he said. The controversy erupted on June 7 after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple, a charge then rejected by Champat Rai, who said, “Nothing noteworthy came to light during the ongoing internal audit”. Based on the preliminary report submitted by an SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government, eight people associated with counting cash and valuables received as donations at the Ram temple were arrested. Rai later resigned as the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. PTI CDN ARI