RSS expects decisive turn in Ayodhya Ram temple donation theft probe
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has expressed confidence that the ongoing police and Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigation into the alleged embezzlement of offerings at the Ayodhya Ram temple will reach a decisive turn. The statement was made at the conclusion of the RSS’s three-day annual Akhil Bharatiya Prant Pracharak Baithak in Belagavi, Karnataka, on Sunday.
The investigation follows the discovery of financial irregularities in the counting of donation box offerings at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The alleged embezzlement, which involves crores of rupees in cash and other offerings, first came to light in June 2024, following the temple's inauguration earlier in the year.
The RSS meeting in Belagavi was attended by senior leadership, including RSS Sarasanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat and Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale, alongside 226 other delegates from various parts of the country. During the conference, attendees expressed grief over the incident at the temple.
The police and SIT action was initiated at the specific request of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Nyas. In its official statement, the RSS noted that it expects the temple trust to take strict measures to ensure that no such incidents occur in the future. The organization stressed that preventing future irregularities is essential to protect the reverence and deep faith of devotees, referred to as Ram Bhakts, towards the temple.
In addition to the temple investigation, the RSS delegates discussed several other national issues during the three-day meet. The discussions covered the national census and the challenges arising from population imbalance. The organization also expressed concern over the growing ill-effects of drugs and called for active community efforts towards de-addiction.
The RSS also shared training updates from the past year, reporting that 18,842 swayamsevaks were trained across 83 Sangh Shiksha and 12 Karyakarta Vikas Vargs throughout the country. This training focused on daily shakha, sangh karyapaddhati, gram vikas, kutumba prabodhan, disaster management, and environmental conservation.
