Former UP DGP Prashant Kumar's Name in Contention for CEO of Ram Temple Trust
Former UP DGP Prashant Kumar's name has entered contention for CEO of the Ram Temple Trust in Ayodhya, alongside three IAS officers.
The name of Prashant Kumar, former Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh, has entered the reckoning for Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya.
The CEO's post at the Trust oversees the day-to-day administration of the Ram Temple complex, including construction coordination, donation management, security liaison and visitor facilities, at a site that draws lakhs of pilgrims and has been under scrutiny over fund handling.
Kumar built his reputation in the UP police force as a strongman officer known for handling law-and-order challenges in the state, and his name is being considered alongside three IAS officers also in contention for the post: Avnish Awasthi, Yogeshwar Ram Mishra, and Dr. Anil Pathak, a former District Magistrate of Ayodhya.
The competing candidature of a police officer against career IAS administrators reflects the range of options the Trust and the state government are weighing for a post that combines security sensitivity with financial administration.
The government's push to install a bureaucrat at the helm follows reports of mismanagement of funds and donations by Trust officials, prompting a rethink of who should run the institution's administrative side.
Whoever takes over will inherit a temple complex still completing construction phases while managing a continuous flow of pilgrims and donations that have drawn both political and public attention.
No final decision on the appointment had been made at the time of this report.
