AIR MARSHAL (retd) Jeetendra Mishra, who headed the Western Air Command during Operation Sindoor, was on Wednesday appointed the first CEO of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust that oversees the management and operations of the Ram temple, trust officials said. Former Treasurer Govind Dev Giri was appointed new General Secretary and Mahesh Bhagchandka as Treasurer at a meeting held here. The trust also inducted Madan Mohan Pandey of Ayodhya, Bhagchandka of Delhi and Dr Nirmala Yadav of Shikohabad as new trustees. The meeting was held in two sessions, with the newly inducted trustees joining the second session online, interim secretary Krishna Mohan said. Mishra’s name was selected from a shortlist of three candidates picked from 5,585 applications. The other shortlisted candidates were Major General Sanjay Pratap Singh Bisht and Shruti Hardwari. Mishra, who belongs to Deoria district in Uttar Pradesh, was awarded the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal for his role in Operation Sindoor. He was also awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal during his long military career, according to a statement. A fighter pilot commissioned into the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986, Mishra served for more than 39 years before retiring on April 30, 2026.

 

As head of the Western Air Command, he was responsible for one of the IAF’s key operational commands during Operation Sindoor, adding an operational dimension to his long record of command, flying, testing and strategic assignments, a statement said. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Pune, the Air Force Test Pilots School, Bengaluru, the Air Command and Staff College in the US and the Royal College of Defence Studies in the UK. During his career, which included more than 3,000 hours of flying, he commanded a fighter squadron and two frontline air bases. He also served as commandant of the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE). Mishra also held several senior appointments at the Air Headquarters, including director of the Operational Planning and Assessment Group. Before taking charge of the Western Air Command on January 1, 2025, he served as deputy chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations). Pandey is an advocate who represented Ram Lalla Virajman in the Ram Janmabhoomi case, while Yadav is a retired college principal and academician. The appointment of the 62- year-old Mishra comes in the wake of the controversy over the alleged embezzlement of temple donations that led to the arrest of eight people and the resignation of Champat Rai as General Secretary