The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday, July 3, said that the alleged theft of donations at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple has “deeply hurt” the sentiments and faith of the entire society and noted that it was essential to ensure that anyone found guilty after the investigation faces severe punishment.
Highlighting that “anti-Hindu and anti-national forces” were trying to malign the Hindu dharma by exploiting “this unfortunate incident,” RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has cautioned the Hindu community to exercise restraint and avoid getting misled by anti-national forces using the Ram Temple donation theft to defame the religion and society. He has called for unity among Hindus.
Breaking silence on the alleged donation theft at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya that has shocked the country, Hosabale has asked the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to treat the “highly condemnable incident” as an exceptional matter and take effective corrective measures to address shortcomings in the temple’s administration and management “to ensure that the faith and devotion of millions of Ram devotees towards the Ayodhya temple remain unshaken.”
“The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, along with the entire Hindu society, naturally expects the Trust to treat this highly condemnable incident as an exceptional matter and take effective corrective measures to eliminate all shortcomings in the temple’s administration and management.
“This is necessary to ensure that the faith and devotion of millions of Ram devotees towards the Ayodhya temple remain unshaken. The prevailing confusion and uncertainty surrounding this matter must come to an end. We expect all necessary steps to be taken by both the temple administration and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the government,” Hosabale said in the first official statement issued by the RSS on the controversy.
Coming ahead of the Sangh’s annual Akhil Bharatiya Prant Pracharak Baithak in Belagavi next week, the statement assumes significance as the alleged financial misappropriations has emerged as a huge embarrassment for the RSS in its centenary year.
“The unfortunate incident involving the theft of money collected in the donation boxes at the Shri Ramlalla Temple in Ayodhya has deeply hurt the sentiments, faith and devotion of the entire society and millions of Ram devotees. We are all deeply distressed by this incident,” Hosabale said.
Statement issued by Dattatreya Hosabale, Sarkaryavah (General Secretary) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
New Delhi, July 3, 2026The grand temple constructed at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi has become a center of reverence, faith, and devotion for the entire Hindu society,… pic.twitter.com/ppdkc8kuwU
— RSS (@RSSorg) July 3, 2026
Describing the Ram Temple as a symbol of reverence and faith for the Hindu community, he said it had become a reality through generations of struggle and the dedication, sacrifice and contributions of millions of devotees.
“At the request of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a Special Investigation Team, and legal proceedings have been initiated. It is essential to ensure that whoever is found guilty during the investigation is awarded strict punishment,” he said.
Hosabale expressed confidence that through sound financial management, efficient administration, transparency, accountability and an atmosphere of religious sanctity and integrity, the Trust would continue to strengthen the faith of devotees.
The RSS is the parent organisation of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the BJP, its political arm.
Constituted by the government in February 2020 following a Supreme Court directive, the Trust manages the Ram Mandir and its assets. Although officially autonomous, the Trust has institutional links with the RSS and the VHP.
A Sangh pracharak for long, VHP vice president Champat Rai served as the Trust’s general secretary since its inception.
He resigned from the post a couple of days back.