The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Friday urged Hindus to exercise “patience and restraint” in connection with the alleged embezzlement of donations made to the Ram temple in Ayodhya and also exhorted them to “thwart the conspiracies of anti-Hindu and anti-national forces” who were allegedly trying to exploit the matter.

The RSS is the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

In a statement, the general secretary of the Hindutva organisation Dattatreya Hosabale said the alleged theft from the donation boxes at the temple had “deeply hurt the sentiments and faith of the entire society and Ram devotees”.

“We are all extremely pained and angered by this event,” he said.

Hosabale added that the Uttar Pradesh government had constituted a Special Investigation Team at the request of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple, and initiated legal proceedings based on its recommendations.

He said it was essential that anyone found guilty after the investigation should face severe punishment.

The RSS functionary also said the organisation expected the trust to treat the matter as an extraordinary one and “take effective steps to rectify all shortcomings in temple management and operations”.

He said this was “crucial” to ensure that the faith and reverence of Ram devotees remains “unbroken and steadfast”.

The general secretary added that the...

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