Rs five crore worth 'Ramcharitamanas' missing; crucial meeting in Ayodhya today

NEW DELHI: More revelations regarding the donation scam at the Ayodhya Ram temple surfaced on Sunday. Former Union Home Secretary S. Lakshminarayanan said that the gold-plated 'Ramcharitmanas' book, worth five crores, which he gave to the temple, is missing. It was displayed in the temple for five months and went missing later. The authorities did not respond to questions regarding this.

The 'Ramcharitmanas' was donated at his own expense, including from the income Lakshminarayanan received when he retired. The donation was made when Lakshminarayanan visited Ayodhya in April 2024 with his wife Saraswati. The book, made of gold, silver and copper, weighs 147 kilograms. He also clarified that the authorities did not fulfil their promise to keep it near the shrine.

A crucial meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Trust will be held today in the backdrop of the donation scam. The resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and Trustee Anil Mishra and the preliminary report of the SIT investigating the case will be discussed. The proposal to appoint a CEO in the trust to oversee the temple administration is likely to be approved.

The meeting will be held at 3 pm at Mani Ramdas Chhawani, the ashram in Ayodhya, of the trust head, Nritya Gopal Das.

The SIT may also charge Champat Rai in the donation scam. It is indicated that the FIR will be registered by July 15. Meanwhile, Ayodhya Sant Mandal saints, who came in support of Champat Rai, have asked the trust to reject his resignation.