Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday offered a brief but pointed response when asked about allegations that some people were trying to undermine faith in Lord Ram amid the controversy surrounding the alleged embezzlement of donations meant for the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
When reporters in Nagpur asked Bhagwat for his reaction to claims that attempts were being made to weaken devotees' faith in Lord Ram, the RSS chief simply replied, "Ram-Ram," before moving on.
First reaction by RSS
Bhagwat's brief remark comes a day after RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said the alleged embezzlement of Ram temple donations had "deeply hurt" the faith of Ram devotees and society at large, and demanded that those found guilty be given severe punishment.
In a statement on Friday, Hosabale said the RSS was "extremely pained and angered" by the alleged incident and urged the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case to ensure the guilty are brought to justice. He also alleged that "anti-Hindu and anti-national forces" were attempting to exploit the incident to malign Hindu dharma, while calling on devotees to exercise patience and restraint.
{{/usCountry}}In a statement on Friday, Hosabale said the RSS was "extremely pained and angered" by the alleged incident and urged the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case to ensure the guilty are brought to justice. He also alleged that "anti-Hindu and anti-national forces" were attempting to exploit the incident to malign Hindu dharma, while calling on devotees to exercise patience and restraint.
{{/usCountry}}Hosabale said the alleged incident had deeply hurt the sentiments of devotees and asserted that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust should treat the matter as an extraordinary one by taking effective steps to address 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 against those responsible.
Eight persons have been arrested so far in connection with the case. They include six outsourced employees engaged in counting devotees’ offerings and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu, a close aide of Trust general secretary Champat Rai. Avinash Shukla was among the six outsourced employees.
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday intensified its parallel criminal investigation into the case by taking arrested accused Avinash Shukla into 24-hour police custody for recoveries, reconstruction of events and verification of fresh leads even as the state government’s SIT continued its probe into the financial and administrative functioning of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
A police team reached Ayodhya district jail at around 9am and took Shukla into custody before bringing him to the Reserve Police Lines, where he was interrogated for nearly two hours. Investigators then took him to multiple locations in Ayodhya and later to his native Pratapgarh district to verify his disclosures, an earlier HT report quoted sources as saying.