BJP leader and VHP functionary Kameshwar Chaupal, who laid the first brick for the Ayodhya Ram temple’s construction during a 1989 ceremony, has died after prolonged illness. He breathed his last at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, according to information provided by the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra’s media centre. Expressing deep sorrow at Chaupal’s passing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described him as an “abiding devotee of Lord Ram”. He made a valuable contribution to the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Modi said. Chaupal will also be remembered for his work for the deprived sections of society, he said, noting that the BJP leader hailed from the Dalit community.

 

A member of the Ram temple trust, Chaupal had been suffering from kidney ailment for a long time. Hailing from Patna, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader laid the first brick during the inaugural foundation stone-laying ceremony for the temple in November 1989, the trust said. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had bestowed on him the title of “first Kar Sevak”, it added. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also expressed grief at Chaupal’s passing, hailing him as a “great Ram devotee”. He said in a post on X, “The passing of Kameshwar Chaupal ji, central vice-president of the VHP, member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, and a great Ram devotee, is extremely sad.” The VHP called Chaupal’s passing “deeply saddening and shocking”. “We pray to the almighty for peace to his departed soul and strength to his family in this difficult time,” it said in a post on X.