- Yogi Adityanath said police acted swiftly after SIT report on Ram Temple donation fraud
- All eight accused in Ram Temple embezzlement case were arrested by UP Police
- Adityanath called allegations an attempt to defame Ayodhya and Ram devotees
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said police action against people accused of embezzling donations at Ram Temple in Ayodhya began immediately after the SIT submitted its report.
Anyone found guilty would not be spared, he said during an address in Deoria, after UP Police on Thursday night arrested all eight persons named in the FIR.
Adityanath described the controversy as an attempt to target Ram devotees and defame Ayodhya out of "frustration" by some political parties.
"When they found nothing else, they started playing with people's faith. They are making allegations against Ram devotees and trying to defame Ayodhya Dham," he said.
"Ayodhya is a symbol of the faith of all of us and of Sanatan Dharma. Do not cast an evil eye on Ayodhya. Learn to uphold the dignity of Lord Ram. We had said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been constituted and that action would begin as soon as its report was received," Adityanath said, recalling his remarks in Ayodhya on June 19.
"The SIT report came and action started immediately. I assure you that, as I had said, we will separate truth from falsehood," he said.
The chief minister said no one would be allowed to play with people's faith and warned of strict action against anyone found guilty.
"Playing with public sentiment is unacceptable. Whoever tampers with the faith of Sanatan Dharma will have to face the consequences. No one can be given any exemption," he said.
Adityanath alleged that political parties opposed to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and the construction of the Ram temple were now claiming to be concerned about devotees' faith. This was an attempt to malign Ayodhya and the Ram temple without evidence, he said.
"If there is no evidence, stop the propaganda. If there is evidence, submit it before the SIT. The government has said from day one that the truth will come out, and action is being taken on the recommendations of the SIT," he said.
The chief minister made an appeal to stop the "political rhetoric" while the investigation was underway, saying professionals were carrying out the probe. He also urged political parties to allow the process to reach its logical conclusion.
Adityanath also hit out at AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal who described the UP Police FIR as a "sham" during a visit to Ayodhya on Friday.
The UP CM said as Delhi's chief minister, Kejriwal provided only "destruction and corruption" for 15 years.
Had the AAP government worked in Delhi as the BJP government did in Ayodhya, "Delhi too would have shone like Ayodhya Dham today", he said.
Eight persons named in an FIR over the alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram temple in Ayodhya have been arrested, senior officials said on Friday.
The FIR, lodged at the instance of Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, follows recommendations made in the preliminary report of an SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the allegations.
Ayodhya SSP Gaurav Grover told PTI that the accused are in police custody and they will be produced before the court following preliminary questioning.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
