Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the state government acted after receiving the Trust’s request and ordered the SIT inquiry.
Ram Mandir donation row: VHP calls for probe, says guilty must face ‘harshest punishment’
The controversy over alleged irregularities in Ram Janmabhoomi temple donations has intensified. Today, International President of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) Alok Kumar backed a detailed investigation, saying that anyone found guilty of wrongdoing must face strict action under the law. Alok Kumar said the probe should be allowed to reach its conclusion and warned against damaging the reputation of everyone involved before the findings are made public.
Speaking to ANI, Alok Kumar said crores of families had contributed towards the Ram Temple and called the donations sacred.
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He said, “I am satisfied that as soon as the allegations were made, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust wrote a letter to the Chief Minister, requesting that an SIT be formed to investigate. The SIT has arrived in Ayodhya. Champat Rai appeared before the SIT first and stated that as the General Secretary, it was his primary responsibility. We want a thorough, in-depth investigation, and not based on sympathy for anyone,” he said.
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Alok Kumar said the investigation should identify anyone responsible for any offence, including breach of trust or negligence.
“They should receive the harshest punishment under the law, no matter who they are. No one has the right to malign everyone’s image before the report comes out,” he said.
The Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 14 after a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Trust.
The SIT includes Vijay Vishwas Pant, Divisional Commissioner, Lucknow; Kiran S, IG (Range); and Neel Ratan, Special Secretary, Finance.
The committee has been asked to submit its preliminary and final reports as soon as possible.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the state government acted after receiving the Trust’s request and ordered the SIT inquiry.
He assured that the investigation would “separate truth from falsehood” and appealed to people to submit documentary evidence to the SIT.
“My appeal to all Ram devotees is this: at the request of the trust, we have ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry. I can assure you that the SIT investigation will separate truth from falsehood. I request everyone and all parties involved to refrain from making baseless comments or statements that hurt the sentiments of Ram devotees. If anyone has any documentary evidence, they should kindly submit it to the SIT,” the Chief Minister said in Ayodhya.
Yogi Adityanath urged people not to make statements that could affect the probe or hurt the sentiments of Ram devotees.
“My fearless appeal to all Ram devotees is this: Lord Ram taught us the value of dignity and righteous conduct. We should uphold that dignity. We waited for 500 years; now wait another 15 days. Do not be misled by those who seek to defame Ayodhya and insult the Ram Janmabhoomi temple. These people never wanted Ayodhya to gain recognition, nor did they want it to receive respect. Today, through misinformation campaigns, they are trying to insult Ayodhya Dham, the foremost among our sacred pilgrimage cities,” he said.
He further added, “They spread false propaganda. Their conduct is before all of you to see. These are the same people who fired bullets at Ram devotees. Just as they once wielded batons against people for chanting the name of Ram, questioned the existence of Lord Ram, and created every possible obstacle by deploying lawyers in court to hinder the process. These people should stop lecturing others,” he added.
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