Cockpit To Ayodhya: The Op Sindoor Veteran Who Will Head Ram Temple Trust

The Ram Temple Trust just got its first-ever CEO.

He is a retired three-star Air Force officer, not a career bureaucrat or a priest, and until recently was running Western Air Command, one of the Indian Air Force's most strategically sensitive commands when Operation Sindoor happened.

Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra's appointment as the chief executive officer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was confirmed on Wednesday. The trust had never had a dedicated CEO before. 

His mandate is essentially to run the machinery behind the temple: day-to-day administration, coordination, pilgrim facilities, staff, finances, security and preparations for major religious occasions that draw large crowds to Ayodhya.

The appointment comes at a time of significant change within the trust. On the same day Mishra's appointment was announced, three new trustees were inducted. The move followed the resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra amid allegations concerning donations to the temple.

From The Cockpit To Ayodhya

Mishra spent more than 38 years in the Air Force, rising to become Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Air Command, which oversees operations along India's western and northern borders.

Before that, he commanded a fighter squadron and two frontline air bases. He also served as Chief Test Pilot and later became Commandant of the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment.

His career included several assignments at Air Headquarters and the Integrated Defence Staff. He served as Director of the Operational Planning and Assessment Group, Principal Director (ASR) and Assistant Chief of Air Staff for Projects. Immediately before taking charge of Western Air Command, he was Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff for Operations.

Operation Sindoor

The most recent and perhaps most consequential chapter of his military career came when he was heading Western Air Command during Operation Sindoor.

The experience put Mishra at the helm of a large, strategically critical organisation during a high-pressure military operation, a background that will now be brought to an entirely different kind of high-stakes institution in Ayodhya.

Mishra has been awarded the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal during his military career.

He is originally from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh and retired from the Air Force on April 30, 2026.

So What Does The Job Actually Involve?

The CEO's job is more about running the increasingly complex administration around one of India's busiest religious sites.

That means pilgrim facilities, finances, staffing, security, coordination between different arms of the trust and preparations for major religious occasions that can bring enormous crowds to Ayodhya.

The decision to create a dedicated CEO's post comes as the scale of operations around the Ram Temple continues to grow.

Mishra was not the only name considered for the position. Former IPS officer Rajesh Pandey was among those in the mix, along with former IAS officer Dinesh Chandra, retired IAS officer Yogeshwar Ram Mishra and former IPS officer Paresh Saxena.

The trust's restructuring did not stop with the appointment of a CEO. Three new trustees were inducted on Wednesday: Mahesh Bhagchandka from Delhi, Madan Mohan Pandey from Ayodhya and Nirmala Yadav from Shikohabad.

Bhagchandka is reportedly related to the late VHP leader Ashok Singhal.