Nearly two dozen employees tasked with counting donations at the Ram Temple have resigned collectively amid an investigation into alleged irregularities in the management of contributions. The mass resignations occurred as the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is reported to be planning significant reforms in the temple’s administrative and operational frameworks.

The staff who left their positions have claimed they experienced increased working hours, salary reductions, and fewer days off. Specifically, they alleged that work that was previously conducted in two shifts has now been reduced to a single shift, extending their duty hours from six to nine. Complaints also included inconsistencies in wages for employees performing similar roles.

The resignations unfolded as a Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigates a case involving alleged theft of donations, resulting in multiple arrests and the resignation of high-ranking trust officials. Following the departure of these employees, only approximately a dozen donation-counting staff were present for duty on Thursday.

Collective Protest and Memorandum Submission

After their final shift on Wednesday evening, the departing employees engaged in a collective protest, presenting a memorandum along with their resignations to the SBI Tulsi Udyan branch, responsible for overseeing the donation counting, as well as to the relevant security agency. They expressed that their decision to cease work was in accordance with their demands not being adequately addressed.

New recruitment processes for counting staff are set to commence soon; however, the timeline for these appointments may extend due to newly implemented verification procedures following the emergence of the donation theft case. The investigation has revealed that digital IDs assigned to trustees were allegedly misused to generate unauthorized VIP darshan passes.

Trust Plans Significant Reforms After July

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is preparing to implement comprehensive reforms after July 22, aiming to overhaul donation management, security, crowd control, and the quality of facilities available to devotees. Plans include consultations with saints and Ramandi tradition scholars to enhance transparency and organisation.

A meeting on July 22 is anticipated to establish final details for the suggested reforms, which may also involve appointing a new General Secretary and filling existing vacant positions within the Trust. The intent is to make donation handling more transparent and to improve accountability within the temple’s administration.

According to Trust Treasurer Govind Devgiri, the upcoming reforms will incorporate advice from the saint community. Discussions have been held with Vishwa Hindu Parishad patron Dinesh Chandra regarding the integration of temple rituals with the Ramanandi tradition. Following the donation theft case, Champat Rai resigned from his position as General Secretary, with his resignation accepted on July 6.

He has been replaced by former Indian Forest Service officer Krishna Mohan, who is also the one who lodged the FIR in the ongoing investigation. Trustee Anil Mishra has also resigned, and special invitee Gopal Rao has been relieved of his duties, although none are currently named as accused in the FIR. Nonetheless, opposition parties and civil society groups continue to demand accountability, citing their previous roles within the Trust.

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