VHP's Surendra Jain said embezzlement allegations against the Ram Mandir trust are taken seriously. The trust itself requested a probe, leading the UP govt to form an SIT that will submit a report in 15 days, said Jain.
VHP Takes Allegations 'Very Seriously'
Joint General Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Surendra Jain, stated on Saturday that while such allegations regarding embezzlement of funds of Ram Mandir have surfaced in the past without proof, the current claims are being treated with "utmost seriousness" due to the nature of their sources. Speaking to ANI, Jain confirmed that the Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) at the request of the Temple Trust to look into the matter, with a mandate to submit a report within 15 days.
"These allegations are not being made for the first time; they have been made before and have been made since day one... but no allegations have been proven yet. People used to make allegations for political reasons. This time, too, we initially felt the same, but when these allegations started coming from other sources, we took them very seriously," Jain told ANI. Highlighting the proactive stance taken by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Jain said that the body itself initiated the demand for a high-level inquiry to maintain transparency.
"Our trust immediately wrote to the UP government to conduct an SIT investigation. We thank the UP government for accepting our demand and immediately forming an effective SIT and starting the investigation. Most importantly, they have given us 15 days. I think the report will be out very soon," he added.
UP CM Orders SIT Probe, Appeals for Calm
On Friday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that a Special Investigation Team has been constituted to probe the matter flagged by the trust, and appealed to all Ram devotees and political parties to refrain from making "baseless comments" until the investigation is complete.
Addressing the issue, the Chief Minister said the state government acted on the trust's request and ordered an SIT inquiry. He assured that the investigation would "separate truth from falsehood" and urged anyone with documentary evidence to submit it 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," Yogi said in Ayodhya.
Adityanath urged everyone to avoid statements that could hurt the sentiments of Ram devotees or influence the probe. He added that once the SIT submits its report, any side would have an appropriate basis to present its views.
On June 14, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the alleged scam involving offerings made at the Ram Mandir, following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Trust. The SIT comprises Vijay Vishwas Pant, IAS, Divisional Commissioner, Lucknow; Kiran S, IPS, IG (Range); and Neel Ratan, Special Secretary, Finance. The committee has been directed to submit its preliminary and final reports as soon as possible.
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