The RSS issues its first detailed public response to allegations that money deposited in donation boxes at the Shri Ram Lalla temple in Ayodhya was stolen or embezzled. In statements by RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, the organization says the incident deeply hurts the sentiments and faith of Hindu society and millions of Ram devotees, and calls the episode “highly condemnable.”

The RSS welcomes the Uttar Pradesh government’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the legal proceedings initiated based on the trust’s request and the SIT recommendations. Hosabale says anyone found guilty must face severe or strict punishment and that the investigation should reach a conclusion without prolonged uncertainty.

Alongside the probe, the RSS urges the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to treat the matter as exceptional and to take corrective measures, including strengthening security, improving financial management, and ensuring operational transparency to restore public confidence. The RSS also appeals for patience and restraint during the investigation and warns that it believes “anti-Hindu” or “anti-national” forces may seek to exploit the controversy to malign Hindu religious institutions.