'Theft is theft': Ram Temple Trust accepts Champat Rai's resignation

Amid the ongoing Ram Mandir donation embezzlement controversy, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust on Monday accepted the resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra, saying the decision was taken in accordance with the trust's constitution.Addressing a media briefing, Govind Giri said the resignations had been formally accepted. "Under the constitution of the trust, the resignation is considered accepted. We accepted the resignation," Giri said.“We appreciate his contribution”He added, "While accepting the resignation, we appreciated his contribution since the beginning."Also read | VHP urges Ayodhya police to verify opposition leaders’ public claims on donation theftThe development comes amid allegations of irregularities in the counting of donations made to the Ram Mandir trust. Referring to the controversy, a trust member described the incident as "painful" and termed the alleged theft during donation counting as "shameful."“It was painful to go through this,” Govind Giri said."It was shameful, this theft during the counting of the donation," he added.The trust also announced organisational changes following the resignations. Krisha Mohan has been appointed as the interim general secretary, while Govind Giri will continue as the trust's treasurer.Meeting on July 22Providing an update on the investigation, trust officials said another meeting has been scheduled for July 22, by which time they expect the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to submit its final report."We are again meeting on the 22nd. By that time we expect that the SIT's final report will be there," Giri said.Emphasising accountability, he said the trust would not shield anyone found guilty."Theft is a theft. The SIT is doing its job. We also stress that all those who are accused—known or unknown—must be punished," he said.There are eight people accused in the donation case and all of them have been arrested. They are: Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra, and Subhash Srivastava. Tinnu is reportedly considered a close of Champat Rai.