The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Friday urged Hindus to exercise “patience and restraint” in connection with the alleged embezzlement of donations made to the Ram temple in Ayodhya and also exhorted them to “thwart the conspiracies of anti-Hindu and anti-national forces” who were allegedly trying to exploit the matter.

The RSS is the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

In a statement, the general secretary of the Hindutva organisation Dattatreya Hosabale said the alleged theft from the donation boxes at the temple had “deeply hurt the sentiments and faith of the entire society and Ram devotees”.

“We are all extremely pained and angered by this event,” he said.

Hosabale added that the Uttar Pradesh government had constituted a Special Investigation Team at the request of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple, and initiated legal proceedings based on its recommendations.

He said it was essential that anyone found guilty after the investigation should face severe punishment.

The RSS functionary also said the organisation expected the trust to treat the matter as an extraordinary one and “take effective steps to rectify all shortcomings in temple management and operations”.

He said this was “crucial” to ensure that the faith and reverence of Ram devotees remains “unbroken and steadfast”.

The general secretary added that the prevailing “confusion and uncertainty” surrounding the case must end and expressed confidence that the trust would strengthen public faith through proper financial management and transparent operational systems.

This was the RSS’ first public response since allegations emerged that donations from the Ram temple had been embezzled.

Commenting on the statement, Congress leader Pawan Khera said that Hosabale’s “performative condemnation” was a desperate attempt to sanitise the “loot” of funds from the Ram temple. He claimed that the purpose behind the video was to “lend legitimacy” to the Special Investigation team set by the Uttar Pradesh, and questioned why a preliminary report submitted by it on June 23 had not been made public.

“The truth is that if the RSS were sincerely committed to safeguarding devotees' donations, embezzlement on such a scale would never have taken place at a temple that is directly under its own watch,” Khera remarked in a social media post.

Unidentified persons aware of the report’s contents told The Indian Express that it highlights alleged lapses, inadequate supervision and negligence in the handling, maintenance and counting of donated cash and valuables.

The SIT is expected to submit a final report next week.

On June 25, an FIR was filed against eight persons based on a complaint by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. All eight accused have been arrested.

They were booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to theft by a clerk or servant, criminal breach of trust, stolen property and criminal conspiracy.

The accused had allegedly misappropriated donations collected through the donation boxes installed on the temple premises.

A day after the arrests, the trust’s general secretary, Champat Rai, and trustee Anil Mishra resigned from their posts on “moral grounds” amid the controversy.

The Ram temple in Ayodhya was built on the site of the Babri Masjid, which was demolished by Hindutva extremists on December 6, 1992, because they believed that it stood on the spot where the Hindu deity Ram was born.

In 2019, the Supreme Court held that the demolition of the Babri mosque was illegal but handed over the land to a trust for a Ram temple to be constructed. At the same time, it directed that a five-acre plot in Ayodhya be allotted to Muslims for a mosque to be built.

Written by Sara Varghese. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.

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