Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is tightening donation-handling security at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya
Cash-counting staff may wear pocketless saffron jumpsuits to reduce the scope for concealment
Mobile phones will be barred in the sanctum and other sensitive areas, with stricter screening in place
Security and donation-handling procedures at the Ram Temple are being tightened further. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is planning pocketless saffron jumpsuits for staff who count offerings and curbs on mobile phones in sensitive areas.
The changes follow Air Marshal (Retd) Jeetendra Mishra's appointment as the Trust's first chief executive officer. They come after allegations of theft and irregularities in temple-donation handling, News18 reported.
Mishra retired in April as the Indian Air Force's Western Air Command chief and took charge in Ayodhya on September 21. He now oversees the Trust's administration, temple operations, security and devotee facilities.
CEO Appointment Process
The CEO post was created in July.
Mishra's selection was part of a wider administrative reset after the donation controversy. He was picked from a panel recommended by a three-member search committee and more than 5,500 applications were reportedly filed for the role.
He formally assumed office in Ayodhya on September 21, and the Trust announced his appointment on September 2.
The restructuring also brought other changes. In July, the Trust accepted the resignations of general secretary Champat Rai and member Anil Mishra, named retired Indian Forest Service officer Krishna Mohan interim general secretary and appointed three new trustees.
Counting Safeguards
Cash-counting work is now under tighter oversight.
Employees handling cash offerings will wear saffron jumpsuits without pockets, a step meant to make it harder to conceal money or other items.
Screening has also been made stricter. Staff will be checked before entering and after leaving the counting areas. Mobile phones will not be allowed in the sanctum or other sensitive zones, and personal belongings will have to be left outside restricted spaces.
The Trust has also stepped up other controls, including more rigorous frisking of employees and security personnel, closer CCTV monitoring and restrictions on personal belongings in donation-handling areas. It has also examined proposals from an IIT and two banks for a technology-based cash-counting system aimed at improving efficiency and transparency while reducing reliance on manual counting.
Probe And Chargesheet
The SIT probe has given the changes added significance.
Investigators examined CCTV footage and other evidence tied to cash offerings, and the probe identified alleged lapses in frisking, surveillance and access control. The Trust has been introducing measures to cut the scope for such lapses.
The donation case is still under investigation. The SIT recently filed its chargesheet in the alleged temple donation theft case, naming several accused while former Trust office-bearers, including Champat Rai and Anil Mishra, were listed as witnesses.
The dress code for donation-counting staff, the phone restrictions, stricter screening, background verification and the proposed technology-based counting system all point to a push to tighten access, monitor employees and reduce opportunities for unauthorised handling of offerings.
