NEW DELHI: RSS on Friday stepped into the Ayodhya Ram temple donation theft row, saying the incident had “deeply hurt” Ram devotees and asking the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to fix gaps in temple management, while also appealing to Hindu society to show “patience and restraint” and not allow “anti-Hindu and anti-national forces” to exploit the controversy.RSS Sarkaryavah, Dattatreya Hosabale, said the “unfortunate incident of theft in the donation boxes kept at the Shri Ram Lalla temple in Ayodhya” had hurt “the sentiments and faith of the entire society and Ram devotees”. “We are all extremely pained and angered by this event,” Hosabale said.The statement comes amid widening public and political scrutiny over alleged irregularities in the handling of offerings at the Ram temple.

The Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a Special Investigation Team after the temple Trust sought a probe. The case has already led to arrests and recoveries, while questions have been raised over cash-handling, accounting and security protocols at the temple.Hosabale said it was “essential” that “anyone found guilty after the investigation faces severe punishment”. He also said it was natural for Hindu society, including RSS, to expect the Trust to treat the incident as an “extraordinary matter” and take “effective steps to rectify all shortcomings in temple management and operations”.

The RSS statement is significant as the Ram temple, constructed after a decades-long movement and the 2019 Supreme Court verdict, remains one of the most emotive issues for the Sangh Parivar. The controversy has given the opposition fresh ammunition to target the BJP and the temple Trust over accountability and transparency in handling donations made by devotees from across the country.Hosabale said the current “confusion and uncertainty must end” and called for “proper financial management, flawless and transparent operational systems” to ensure that the faith of crores of Ram devotees remains “unbroken and steadfast”.At the same time, RSS asked Hindu society to show “patience and restraint” and warned against “anti-Hindu and anti-national forces” seeking to exploit the incident to malign Hindu dharma and society.