Former IPS officer and UP’s encounter specialist Rajesh Pandey could be appointed as the first CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. Sources indicated that Rajesh Pandey’s name might be finalized during the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust meeting on Wednesday.
Rajesh Pandey, a native of Prayagraj, has experience working with the United Nations’ Kosovo peacekeeping mission. During his service, he carried out over 80 encounters, including that of gangster Shriprakash Shukla. He has also been a founding member of two special units of the UP Police: the Special Task Force (STF) and the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).
Sharad Sharma, who has been the media in-charge for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, could be appointed as the spokesperson for the Trust. This is the third meeting of the Trust since the case of theft of offerings came to light. The formation of a Prasad Committee and a Parikrama Committee may be announced during the meeting. A decision may also be taken on increasing the number of members in the Religious Committee and filling the 3 vacant positions in the Trust. However, the announcement of a permanent General Secretary for the Trust is considered unlikely during the meeting.
Swami Govind Dev Giri, Chairman of the Ram Mandir Religious Committee and Treasurer of the Trust, along with the Trustee and General Secretary of the Trust, Krishna Mohan, have reached Ayodhya. Swami Govind Dev Giri visited the Ram Mandir and had darshan of Ram Lalla. The meeting will be held at 3 PM at Maniram Das Chhavni.
Proposal to install 2 ACs in the sanctum sanctorum may get approval
Two ACs have been ordered for the service of Ram Lalla. One of these is 1 ton and the other is 3 tons. Both ACs will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum. To install them, holes will have to be drilled in the walls. The Religious Committee has submitted its proposal regarding this to the Trust. This proposal may also get approval in tomorrow’s meeting.
Ram Mandir Trust Treasurer Govind Dev Giri has reached Ayodhya. He offered prayers to Ram Lalla.
Why is the Prasad and Parikrama Committee being formed?
- Parikrama Committee– Sages, saints, and devotees perform circumambulation (Parikrama) around the Ram Mandir. The committee will decide how to make the arrangements for this Parikrama better and more organized.
- Prasad Committee– Prasad is distributed daily to the devotees of Ram Lalla. Additionally, the committee will decide what kind of special Prasad should be offered during festivals and special occasions.
What decisions were taken in the two meetings held after the theft of offerings…
The picture is from July 2. The Ram Mandir Trust had displayed 4 gold and silver items. Their theft was claimed.
July 2 – Resignation of Champat Rai and Anil Mishra accepted
The Trust had accepted the resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and Trustee Anil Mishra. Retired IFS officer Krishna Mohan was appointed as the acting General Secretary in their place. Additionally, the Trust claimed the theft of 4 gold and silver items while displaying them. The Trust stated that it had received 3,264 crore rupees through donations. Out of this, 2,370 crore rupees have already been spent on temple construction and other works.
July 22 – Religious committee of 9 saints formed
The trust had taken two major decisions. First- A religious committee of 9 saints was formed. It included 5 saints from Ayodhya and 4 saints from the temple trust. The trust’s treasurer, Swami Govind Dev Giri, was appointed as the chairman of the committee. Second- A spokesperson and a secretary for the trust will be appointed. The trust stated that despite several allegations and misinformation, there has been no decrease in the number of devotees visiting the Ram Temple.
16 people were interviewed in 2 days for the post of Ram Temple CEO
- 5585 people applied for the CEO position. Out of these, 16 people were shortlisted for the interview. Retired Justice Pramod Kohli, former scientist Dr. Suresh Haware, and retired Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi were part of the interview panel.
- Following this, the interviews for these 16 individuals were held in Ayodhya on August 11 and 12. Subsequently, the search committee submitted the names of three people to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
- Each candidate’s interview lasted for 40 to 50 minutes. They were asked questions related to administrative experience, responsibilities, work in the religious sector, and their faith in Lord Ram.
- According to sources, candidates were asked whether they keep a ‘shikha’ (tuft of hair), wear a ‘janeu’ (sacred thread), are pure vegetarians or non-vegetarians, consume alcohol or not, and whether they are staunch Hindus or have general faith.
SIT submitted preliminary report on June 23, 8 arrested 2 days later
The theft case first came to light on June 7. The UP government’s SIT submitted a preliminary report to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad on June 23. An FIR was registered on June 25 based on the complaint of trust member Krishna Mohan. In this, 8 people including Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu were named. However, it did not include the names of senior office bearers like Champat Rai and Dr. Anil Mishra.
A few hours after the FIR was registered, the police arrested 8 accused including Tinnu. Currently, all of them are in Faizabad jail. All are accused of stealing cash and jewelry while counting the offerings.
Following the SIT’s preliminary report, General Secretary Champat Rai and Trustee Dr. Anil Mishra resigned, taking moral responsibility. The trust accepted both resignations and removed Gopal Nagarkatte from the list of special invitees.
Supreme Court had ordered the formation of a second SIT
Four separate petitions related to the offering theft case have been filed in the Supreme Court. In addition to handing over the investigation to the CBI, these petitions demand the formation of an expert committee to review various issues related to the management of temple donations.
The old SIT was reporting to the state government level, whereas the new SIT will file status reports directly to the Supreme Court from time to time. The Supreme Court itself is monitoring the investigation of the entire matter.
The Supreme Court had held that the role of police officers is direct and more effective in criminal investigations and technical probes of theft cases. Therefore, by making the DIG and SSP members, the scope of the investigation has been handed over directly to the officials of the police department.
