Ram Temple Picks Its First CEO: Operation Sindoor Veteran From Air Force, Jeetendra Mishra

New Delhi: The Ram temple trust has selected Air Marshal (Retd) Jeetendra Mishra as its new CEO, say reports. Mishra was the Western Air Command Chief during Operation Sindoor. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had been looking for a CEO ever since allegations came to light of theft and embezzlement of funds and donations to the temple. 

The Wire had earlier reported that a Google form with 34 queries was circulated by the trust as part of its selection process. The questions in the form included whether candidates applying for the post were "pure" vegetarian, wore janeu (sacred thread), drank alcohol, among other such queries.

Mishra is slated to be the first full-time CEO of the beleaguered trust, eight of whose employees are currently in a prison facing allegations of theft of donation.

Mishra's new role will include managing the legal, administrative and financial affairs related to the trust, ensuring the trust complies with its deed and ensuring financial transparency.

The temple trust had earlier shortlisted 18 candidates out of 5,000 applications and on September 1 the list had been whittled down to just three candidates.

A three-member committee was dealing with selecting the CEO. Apart from the selection criteria in the Google form, it is not too clear what the criteria for a CEO were.

One contender for the post was Lucknow-based former IPS officer Amitabh Thakur, the national president of Azad Adhikar Sena, a political outfit. He recently wrote to the trust demanding transparency in the ongoing selection process.

Mishra was a fighter pilot in the Air Force and served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Air Command.