Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Saturday confirmed that its general secretary Champat Rai and its trustee member Anil Mishra have tendered their resignations and assured that a fair inquiry will be conducted into allegations related to the Ram temple donations.
A statement from the temple Trust, issued by its treasurer Govind Dev Giri, said that the Trust has received the two resignations and will take a decision on them at its next meeting.
The Trust said that they are shocked, hurt and deeply saddened by the recent developments and are duty-bound to ensure that a fair inquiry is conducted and the faith of devotees is restored.
Eight persons named in an FIR over the alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram temple in Ayodhya were arrested on Thursday night, according to police.
Seeking to reassure devotees, the trust said that all valuables personally handed by devotees as offerings to Lord Ram, including silver bricks and jewellery, were safe and properly accounted for.
"The trust assures those devotees who personally handed over items--such as silver bricks and jewellery--to Trust officials for offering to Lord Ram that these items are safe and fully accounted for," it stated.
The trust further said that corrective measures would be taken to ensure such incidents do not recur in the future.
"We assure everyone that we will take measures to prevent any such unfortunate situation from arising in the future," the statement added.
Appealing to devotees and the public, the trust urged people not to be influenced by rumours or misinformation, and clarified that no damage had been caused to the sanctity of the temple.
"We assure everyone that no irreparable damage has occurred to the sanctity of the temple. We request all devotees not to be misled by rumours, misinformation, or false propaganda. Such attempts cannot shake Sanatan Dharma, the temple, or the faith of millions of devotees."
The trust further expressed confidence that the truth would prevail, stating, "Darkness will eventually give way, and the light of truth will shine. The uninterrupted flow of Lord Shri Ram's glory will continue forever."
The trust also sought to assure the devotees that such an unfortunate situation would not arise in future.
"We will urge the authorities concerned to ensure that the culprits get the strictest punishment as per the law of the land," Giri said in the letter.
The Trust treasurer also urged the Ram devotees not to lend ears to misguiding and baseless rumours and also make others aware of such a canard.
"We firmly believe that these dark cloud would get dispersed, the darkness will vanish and the light of truth will prevail, leading the uninterrupted stream of devotion for Lord Ram as ever forever," he said.
Meanwhile, highly-informed sources claimed that Champat Rai and Anil Mishra were under tremendous pressure to resign and the developments were set in motion after a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) meeting in Haridwar on June 18 and 19.
Both Champat Rai and Gopal Rao attended the meeting.
According to sources, in the meeting, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale questioned both leaders and sought an explanation regarding the allegations.
Even during Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's Ayodhya visit on June 19, Champat Rai was kept away from the official programmes.
Sources said Champat Rai received calls from RSS and VHP leaders on Thursday night, advising him to resign to help contain the controversy.
On Friday morning, Champat Rai performed prayers before reaching Mani Ramdas Ji's camp which has the trust office. Dr Anil Mishra was also called there. Around 11 am, both leaders submitted their resignations to the Trust president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.
However, neither the trust, nor the office of mahant Nritya Gopal Das or the VHP spokespersons confirmed the resignations till late Friday night.
Moreover, some sections of VHP even denied the development having taken place. Meanwhile, both Rai and Mishra were unavailable for comments.
