Past shortcomings were due to bankers, police, not Trust: Dinnendra Das on Ram Temple arrangements

Speaking to ANI, Das said, "There is no problem with darshan; it has progressed a lot. Everything is going well with donations. There's no shortage now; it's moving forward."

Responding to concerns raised earlier, Das said the shortcomings pointed out were not on the part of the Trust. "Previously, they pointed out shortcomings, but there wasn't one like ours. Bankers and police were on duty. The shortage wasn't on our part. Bankers and police officers were the ones who were lacking," he said.

Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, successor to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das and President of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, spoke on the inclusion of Ayodhya saints in the Ram Lalla Puja Committee.

He said the worship at the temple was progressing smoothly and that priests would be trained for other temples.

"Some names from Ayodhya came up. We only have to oversee the temple's management, the offerings, the arrangements, and the celebrations," he said.

He added that a meeting of saints and sages would be held later in the day, with all saints of Ayodhya invited to attend.

"The worship is going well, we will train priests for other temples... the meeting is of saints and sages, and will be held today... all the saints of Ayodhya have been invited," Mahant Kamal Nayan Das added.

Further, Swami Shankaracharya Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati Maharaj said that a major decision had been taken at a Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust meeting under which five seers would oversee the Ram Mandir's operations until a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is appointed.

Earlier, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had unveiled a series of major administrative and religious reforms following its meeting in Ayodhya, focusing on strengthening transparency, temple administration and traditional religious practices in the wake of the alleged donation counting irregularities.

The Trust said the ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged irregularities in the counting of offerings is still underway and its final report has not yet been received. It urged people not to draw premature conclusions, stating that any action against those found guilty will be taken only after due legal process and in accordance with court directions.

As part of immediate corrective measures, the Trust announced that an Assistant General Manager of Indian Bank, along with a representative of Swarna Rajat Finance, will remain present during the counting of donations. Live CCTV monitoring of the counting process will also be introduced to enhance transparency.

Commenting on the ongoing protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, the Shankaracharya said students were protesting there and alleged that they had been subjected to a lathi-charge. He further claimed that the government was targeting the Opposition over the protests taking place at Jantar Mantar. (ANI)