The case of theft from donation box in Ram temple in Ayodhya is not stopping. So far, FIR has been filed against 8 accused in this case. Trust general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra have resigned from their posts. There is another name in this matter, whose role in the arrangements and operation of the temple is raising questions. This is the name of Gopal Rao, who was an assistant in the construction of the temple and is now the administrator.
Akhilesh Yadav has also attacked Gopal Rao directly without taking his name. He said that the strings of misappropriation of offerings at Ram temple may be linked to Karnataka and Maharashtra. Some prominent people associated with the management of donations to the temple may have a hand in this. At the same time, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust trustee Dinendra Das has also raised questions about the role of Gopal Rao.
Mahant Dinendra Das said that Gopal Rao was brought to assist in the construction work but he should not be given the work of money transaction. He alleged that only Gopal Rao was involved in the transaction. Champat Rai and Anil Mishra have no role in this. According to him, there are already experienced and capable people in the trust, so there was no need for external intervention.
After the decision of the Supreme Court, the construction work of Ram temple started. After this, in the coming years, many officials from across the country associated with the Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad were called to Ayodhya. Many were given important responsibilities. Some were assigned the responsibility of supervising various works as assistants. Gopal Rao, resident of Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, was also one of them.
Gopal Rao, resident of Uttara Kannada district, is a post graduate in Physics. Before coming to Ayodhya, he was the state campaigner of the Sangh in Karnataka. Then, after coming to Ayodhya in the year 2020, he was first made the assistant construction in-charge. Then later he was made the administrator. In the year 2025, he was included in the Trust as a special invitee member. But it was never officially announced. Presently Gopal Rao is on the post of Union Co-Minister of Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Despite not holding any administrative or official level post in Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Gopal Rao was considered the second influential person in the temple management after Champat Rai. According to media reports, he has been interfering in almost all the works related to the temple. Whether there is any event in the premises or the work ranging from purchasing material for offering to the Lord to managing the priests, their role has been described.
Allegations have also been made of his indirect role in the purchase of land for Gopal Rai Paratrust. Also, questions have been raised on his role in issuing passes in his name for VVIP darshan in the temple premises. People say that the responsibility of both the works lies with some selected officials and administrative officers of the Trust. But Gopal Rai neither has any official nor administrative post related to the trust, then how was he issuing passes for temple darshan and with what authority was he playing a role in purchasing the land.
Gopal Rao remained an influential person in the temple management in Ram Janmabhoomi even without holding any official or administrative post. He had access to every part and every department of the temple. He had a say in every decision. Gopal Rao has played an important role in arrangements ranging from purchase of stones to availability of materials during his tenure as a construction assistant.
Gopal Rao has played an important role in decisions regarding many technical processes related to construction. In such a situation, the question that arises is, despite having so much influence and influence in so many temple premises, is it possible that he would have had no knowledge about the continuous theft of donations.
