VHP turns its back on Champat Rai amid Ram Mandir theft row: Our role's over

Published 30 June 2026 · india

Days after the theft and embezzlement of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir triggered outrage and raised questions over accountability, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)

Days after the theft and embezzlement of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir triggered outrage and raised questions over accountability, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has publicly distanced itself from the ‘actions’ of former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, while calling for a comprehensive investigation into the controversy. Speaking to India Today TV’s Rajdeep Sardesai, VHP International President Alok Kumar said the organisation does not accept responsibility for decisions taken by the temple trust after the construction of the Ram temple and clarified that the VHP’s role ended once the Ram Janmabhoomi movement achieved its objective. Read Full Story "I am distancing myself with the actions of Shri Champat Rai in his capacity as the General Secretary of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra," Kumar said. His remarks come at a politically sensitive moment as scrutiny intensifies over the diversion of devotees' offerings and the functioning of the trust overseeing one of the country’s most significant religious sites.

Champat Rai, who had long been associated with the VHP before becoming General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, stepped down from the post on moral grounds after allegations of financial irregularities surfaced. Trustee Anil Mishra also resigned amid mounting pressure following the preliminary findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Rejecting suggestions that the VHP should be held directly accountable because of Rai’s long association with the organisation, Kumar maintained that the trust operated independently after the Supreme Court verdict that paved the way for the temple’s construction. "What has happened in Ayodhya is very disgraceful, very shameful. All of us, all the Hindus in the world, particularly those who donated funds and the kar sevaks and their families, are deeply hurt," he said. However, Kumar argued that responsibility for temple administration rested with the trust and not with the VHP. Recalling his position after the Ram Janmabhoomi verdict, he said the organisation had clearly stated that it would neither construct nor run the temple.

"Our role is over. It is not the job of the VHP in any part of the country to construct temples or to run them. The trust would run them and what happens in the trust would be the responsibility of the trust," he said, adding that attempts to extend accountability to the RSS or the government would be inappropriate. At the same time, the senior VHP leader rejected the argument that accountability should stop with the eight people arrested so far. According to him, once irregularities came to the notice of trustees in early June, they first attempted to verify facts before deciding between filing an FIR and seeking a wider probe. He said the trust requested Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to constitute an SIT, after which investigators began examining the matter. For the uninitiated, the FIR filed in the embezzlement case names Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu as accused - all of who have been arrested.