Ram Mandir donation row: Who is Champat Rai, the ‘encyclopaedia of Ayodhya’ who has quit the temple trust?

The famous Ram Janmabhoomi mandir, situated in the temple town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, is in the headlines. Why? Because of the ongoing probe into the alleged embezzlement of temple donations, which has also triggered a fresh political storm.

Amid the alleged donation-theft row, there is one person at the centre of the attack mounted by opposition parties: Champat Rai.

Rai, the powerful general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, came in the cross-hairs following his resignation today (June 26), a day after an FIR was registered and eight people were arrested.

On Friday (June 26), Rai, who oversaw the temple funds, became the first high-profile leader to step down, reportedly taking moral responsibility for the donation-theft row. Around Rs 7-7.5 crore is reportedly missing, and Rai has not been named in the case.

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We take a look.

Who is Champat Rai?

Rai was born in 1946 in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. From a young age, he was influenced by the ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and later joined the organisation.

A little-known fact about Rai is that he taught chemistry at RSM Degree College in Bijnor before becoming one of the prominent faces of the Ram Mandir movement.

During the emergency period under Indira Gandhi, he was arrested from his college in 1977. According to his supporters, Rai was arrested due to his association with the RSS. Rai was imprisoned for around 18 months, India Today reported.

After his release, he did not pursue academics; instead, he dedicated himself entirely to social work. He formally joined the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in 1980 and quickly rose through its ranks, first serving as secretary before being appointed the organisation's international vice president.

He has been deeply involved in the Ram temple movement since the 1980s. He even headed a group of kar sevaks on December 6, 1992, when the Babri masjid was brought down. In the temple town and among his supporters, Rai is widely regarded as the "encyclopaedia of Ayodhya" for his extensive knowledge of the temple town.

His supporters say he never married and has devoted his entire life to the movement since the 1980s.

"Champat Rai dedicated his entire life to the Ram Mandir movement. From being a chemistry teacher to becoming the international vice-president of VHP, he witnessed the construction of the grand Ram Lalla temple. No false allegations can tarnish his character. His life itself is proof of devotion to Ram!" VHP's national spokesperson Vijay Shankar Tiwari tweeted.

Besides his organisational work, Rai has also authored books on Jain philosophy, according to reports.

Why has Rai resigned?

Rai submitted his resignation following the arrest of Ramashankar Yadav, alias Tinnu, his driver and close aide. The other seven arrested include temple members responsible for counting cash, as well as a retired banker who oversaw the process.

Since the controversy erupted, Rai has remained at the centre of attention. He initially rejected allegations of theft involving donation funds; however, he later welcomed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe ordered by the Yogi Adityanath government.

Earlier this week, SIT submitted its initial findings to the state government, naming the eight arrested. It was when the Samajwadi Party (SP) accused the Yogi government of shielding influential individuals, forcing Rai to quit the post.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh described Rai as the "main thief" in the controversy and questioned whether the FIR includes the names of key Trust officials. Singh claimed that these irregularities occurred under Rai's watch, who is at the highest level of the Trust.

What's the Ram Mandir donation controversy?

The donation theft case concerns the alleged misappropriation of donations offered by devotees at the Ayodhya Ram Temple. Officials probing the matter suspect that individuals involved in handling and counting the offerings diverted funds for personal benefits.

The FIR names, among others, the official in charge of cash counting at the temple’s pilgrim facilitation centre. The accused have been booked for theft, cheating, criminal breach of trust and conspiracy.

The alleged irregularities came under scrutiny when Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said crores of rupees in donations to the Ram Mandir were missing. He called the issue “extremely sensitive” for devotees and questioned the silence of the trust and the state government.

Yadav also questioned why the authorities refused to make public the CCTV footage of the offering count.

At first, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the trust behind the Ram Mandir, dismissed the allegations, with its general secretary, Rai, noting that internal audits had found no such discrepancies.

The matter escalated when former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh claimed he was aware of alleged misuse of donations but declined to reveal details. Amid the controversy, the temple Trust sought a government inquiry into the matter.

On June 14, the Yogi government set up a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations. The panel submitted its preliminary findings on June 23, following which an FIR was registered against eight individuals on Thursday (June 25).

With inputs from agencies