RSS breaks silence on 'highly condemnable' Ram Mandir donation theft row, seeks severe punishment for guilty

Summary

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Friday said that the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya has ‘deeply hurt’ the sentiments and faith of the entire society, and called for ensuring that anyone found guilty after the investigation faces severe punishment. Asserting that "anti-Hindu and anti-national forces" are seeking to malign the Hindu dharma by exploiting "this unfortunate incident", Hosabale also called upon the entire Hindu society to display necessary patience and restraint during "this difficult moment" to thwart such "conspiracies". "The unfortunate incident of theft in the donation boxes kept at the Shri Ram Lalla temple in Ayodhya has deeply hurt the sentiments and faith of the entire society and Ram devotees," the RSS second-in-command said in a statement on X. "We are all extremely pained and angered by this event," he added. This is the first statement by a senior RSS functionary, marking the ideological fountainhead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s first public intervention on the issue. Hosabale said it is natural for the entire Hindu society, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), to expect the Trust to treat this "highly condemnable" incident as an extraordinary matter and take effective steps to rectify all shortcomings in temple management and operations. Congress leader KC Venugopal on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an immediate Supreme Court-monitored probe into what he described as the “Chanda Chori mega scandal”. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. Stay updated with the latest Trending , India , World and US news.