Ayodhya, Sept. 2 -- The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Wednesday appointed retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra as the first chief executive officer of the Ram temple, as it reorganised its administration to manage the expanding operations of the religious complex in Ayodhya. Former treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri was made general secretary, while Delhi-based Mahesh Bhagchandka was appointed treasurer.

The decisions were taken unanimously at a trust meeting held at Maniram Das Chhawani in Ayodhya, chaired by trust president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das. The meeting was conducted in two sessions, with Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad attending the first session online and Ram Temple Construction Committee chairman Nripendra Misra joining the second session at 3 pm.

Mishra was chosen from three shortlisted candidates after a selection process that began with 5,585 applications. The other two candidates were retired Major General Sanjay Pratap Singh Bisht and Shruti Hardwari. Interim secretary Krishna Mohan said the selection committee had been asked to shortlist three names within a month before the trust took the final decision.

Mishra, a native of Deoria district in Uttar Pradesh, served the Indian Air Force for nearly four decades and rose to the rank of Air Marshal. He commanded the Western Air Command during Operation Sindoor and also held senior positions including deputy chief of Integrated Defence Staff. Commissioned as a fighter pilot on December 6, 1986, he trained at the National Defence Academy and Air Force Test Pilots School, flew more than 18 types of aircraft and logged over 3,000 flying hours. His military service earned him several decorations, including the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal and Yudh Seva Medal.

As CEO, Mishra will oversee the temple's day-to-day administrative operations, including personnel, facilities, security, crowd management, darshan arrangements and coordination with government agencies. Giri said the trust could appoint a joint CEO or deputy CEO if necessary and would frame a standard operating procedure defining the CEO's responsibilities.

Giri, who succeeds Champat Rai as general secretary, will now oversee the trust's executive and administrative functioning. Rai and trustee Anil Mishra had resigned following allegations linked to the theft of donations at the temple. An SIT investigation followed, and eight people involved in donation counting were arrested.

The trust also inducted three new trustees: senior Ayodhya advocate Madan Mohan Pandey, who represented Ram Lalla Virajman in the title dispute; Mahesh Bhagchandka of Delhi; and Dr Nirmala Yadav of Shikohabad, a retired college principal and academician with postgraduate degrees in Hindi and Sanskrit. Giri said Krishna Mohan had helped steer the trust through "troubled times". He added, "We have to make Ayodhya the world's cultural capital. We will not leave any stone unturned for this."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.