Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday gave a brief but pointed reply when asked about allegations that some people are trying to undermine faith in Lord Ram amid the controversy over alleged misappropriation of donations meant for the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
When reporters in Nagpur asked Bhagwat for his reaction to allegations that there were attempts to weaken devotees’ faith in Lord Ram, the RSS chief simply replied: “Ram Ram” before moving on.
First reaction from RSS
Bhagwat’s short remark comes a day after RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said the alleged misappropriation of Ram temple donations had “severely damaged” the faith of Ram devotees and the society at large, and demanded severe punishment for the guilty.
In a statement issued on Friday, Hosabale said the RSS was “deeply hurt and angry” over the alleged incident, and urged the Special Investigation Team probing the case to ensure that the guilty are brought to justice. He also claimed that “anti-Hindu and nationalist forces” were trying to exploit the incident to harm Hindu dharma, while calling on devotees to be patient and restraint.
Hosabale said the alleged incident had deeply hurt the sentiments of devotees and asserted that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust should treat the matter as an extraordinary matter by taking effective steps to address the shortcomings in the temple’s management and operations. He added that the uncertainty surrounding the case must end with a thorough investigation and strict action taken against those responsible.
Eight people have been arrested so far in connection with this case. They include six external staff involved in counting the offerings of devotees and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tino, a close aide of the trust’s general secretary Champat Rai. Avinash Shukla was among the six employees who were outsourced.
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday intensified its parallel criminal investigation in the case by remanding the arrested accused Avinash Shukla in police custody for 24 hours to recover, reconstruct the events and ascertain new leads even as the state government’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) continues to probe the financial and administrative performance of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
A police team reached the Ayodhya district jail at around 9 am and detained Shukla before taking him to the reserve police lines, where he was interrogated for about two hours. An earlier HT report quoted sources as saying that investigators then took him to multiple locations in Ayodhya and then to his native Pratapgarh district to verify his revelations.
