Ram Temple row: Who is Krishna Mohan? Trust appoints new interim in-charge; accepts Champat Rai, Anil Mishra resignations

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary and former forest service officer Krishna Mohan was chosen on Monday to lead the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust as its interim general secretary.

This is the latest in a series of developments at the crucial Trust meeting on Monday, as a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probes the alleged theft of ₹7 crore in donations from the Ayodhya temple.

Appointed as the interim general secretary, Mohan will now take charge at the trust, overseeing the work of both former general secretary Champat Rai and Anil Mishra, a trustee and one of the key accused in the case.

Both Rai and Mishra's resignations were accepted by the Trust in its meeting today.

"My priority will be to ensure that anyone found guilty is punished," Mohan said after the meeting, as per an NDTV Hindi report, confirming his appointment and promising full transparency in the workings of the temple, going forward.

Mohan, who was inducted into the Trust as a trustee through a unanimous decision of its members just a year ago, hails from the Chandrapur village in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi district.

Formerly an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer from the Maharashtra cadre, the 73-year-old has maintained an active role in social work since his retirement from government service.

Until the appointment of a new general secretary, Mohan will be taking over a trust that has received widespread backlash from not just the Opposition for facilitating the alleged embezzlement of devotees' funds and valuables.

It was this backlash that led to the Trust accepting the resignation of Rai and Mishra, who had skipped the crucial Monday meeting where their earlier resignations were accepted.

Treasurer Govind Giri also reiterated that the resignations of Rai and Mishra were voluntary, but also noted that a key figure at the meeting had pointed out that the trustees had no choice but to accept the resignations anyway.

This key figure was K. Parasaran, the 99-year-old author of the trust's constitution, who pointed out that once submitted, resignations had to be accepted.

What next?

As the SIT continues to probe the eight accused in the donation theft case and hunts down the mastermind behind the whole plot, Giri explained that a committee had been formed to appoint some officials as the Trust navigates the crisis.

He added that the next meeting of the Trust would take place on July 22, around which time the SIT report would likely be announced, based on which further decisions would be taken.

In the meantime, reports have also speculated that Rajasthan-origin Bajrang Lal Bagra could become the Trust's new general secretary later on.

Currently serving as the international general secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bagra is a chartered accountant with extensive experience in organisational operations and financial management.

He has also strongly represented the Parishad on issues related to Hindu society, population, religious conversion, temples, and other religious matters.