India, July 1 -- The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which was central to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement for many years, has now distanced itself from its senior leader Champat Rai and his actions as General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

VHP International President Alok Kumar said their role ended once the temple was built and that managing temples is "not the job of the VHP." He called the incident "very disgraceful, very shameful," recognised the pain felt by donors and kar sevaks, and called for a full investigation of everyone involved.

Champat Rai, often called the "encyclopaedia of Ayodhya" for his deep knowledge of the area, has been a key figure in the Ram movement since the 1980s. He was a longtime VHP ...