Breaking his silence on the Ram temple donation controversy, Mahant Dinendra Das, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, on Thursday said he was hopeful the Special Investigation Team (SIT) would unearth the truth. He also said the role of Gopal Rao, administrator of the temple, should be thoroughly probed.
Demanding stern punishment for those involved in embezzlement of donation money, he said, “The SIT’s report will come out with all facts and figures. No one involved in the irregularities will be allowed to walk away.”
Das said he has complete faith in the SIT. Speaking to HT, he said Champat Rai, who has resigned as general secretary of the trust, appeared to have been kept in the dark.
Asked about the Ayodhya Development Authority’s demolition notice to Supriya Mishra, wife of Luvkush Mishra, one of the eight accused arrested in the case, Das said, “The house was being constructed with the money devotees had donated to Ram Mandir. It (house) should be demolished.”
Meanwhile, Gopal Rao is among those the SIT has questioned. Though he was not a trustee, he was considered next to Champat Rai in overseeing the day-to-day administration of the temple.
Gopal Rao, a native of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, was among the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishva Hindu Parishad office bearers and workers called to Ayodhya from across the country after the Supreme Court’s verdict on November 9, 2019 in favour of Ram Mandir, according to those familiar with the matter.
{{/usCountry}}Gopal Rao, a native of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, was among the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishva Hindu Parishad office bearers and workers called to Ayodhya from across the country after the Supreme Court’s verdict on November 9, 2019 in favour of Ram Mandir, according to those familiar with the matter.
{{/usCountry}}Rao, a postgraduate in physics, served as the prant pracharak in Karnataka and is currently the central joint general secretary of the Vishva Hindu Parishad, according to the people quoted above.
Initially, Rao was the construction in-charge, and later he was made the administrator, they said.
His responsibilities also included managing all events inside the temple premises, procuring materials for ‘bhog’ offered to the deity, managing priests, and overseeing all darshan and aarti passes, people aware of the matter said.