Lucknow: Amid the row surrounding the Ram Mandir, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath urged the people at large to “wait for another 15 days” and assured them that the guilty would not be spared.
He further attacked the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, accusing them of adopting double standards and questioning the existence of Lord Ram.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe was progressing and that facts would soon be established, Yogi said Friday at a public function in Ayodhya, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth around Rs 245 crore.
“If anyone has any evidence, they should submit it to the SIT. I appeal to all Ram devotees to maintain restraint and follow the values of dignity taught by Lord Ram,” Yogi said.
“Our ancestors struggled for 500 years for the construction of the Ram Temple. Please wait for another 15 days and have patience. Do not worry and do not fall prey to attempts to defame Ayodhya. If anyone is guilty, regardless of who they are…they will not be spared.”
श्री राम जन्मभूमि मंदिर को अपमानित करने वाले लोगों के बहकावे में कतई न आएं…
SIT जांच दूध का दूध और पानी का पानी करके रहेगी…
अगर कोई अपराधी है, वह बचेगा नहीं, यह सुनिश्चित है… pic.twitter.com/8YsbHVBKUv
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) June 19, 2026
Targeting the Samajwadi Party, Yogi sought to remind the people of the 1990 police firings on kar sevaks (people volunteering for a religious cause), who had amassed in Ayodhya on the call of Right-wing outfits to demolish the Babri Masjid.
“Look at the dual character of the Samajwadi Party. Today, they claim that Ram devotees have been insulted. These are the same people under whose government bullets were fired on kar sevaks and Ram devotees. At the request of the Ram Temple Trust, we constituted an SIT, and the investigation will establish the truth. I urge everyone not to make irresponsible comments that hurt the sentiments of Ram devotees,” the CM said.
During the Samajwadi Party rule, he said, Ram devotees and kar sevaks faced police action and that even chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ were met with force.
As for the Congress, the CM alleged that it opposed the construction of the Ram Temple for years.
“Today, these very people are talking about the dignity and respect of Ram devotees. The government constituted the SIT after a request from the Ram Temple Trust, and the investigation will be conducted in a completely impartial manner,” Yogi said.
Also Read: Ram temple needs a Tirupati model, daily cash counting, says Nripendra Mishra amid donations row
Champat Rai kept away
Interestingly, Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai was absent from the official programme of the chief minister.
According to administrative sources, Rai was not invited to the event with officials saying that directions had been issued in advance from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to not invite him.
The development comes amid allegations linking Rai to the ongoing donation irregularities controversy. Although no conclusions have been reached and the SIT probe is still underway, his absence from the event attracted considerable attention.
The three-member SIT has been questioning trust officials, employees, banking personnel and others associated with the donation management process.
It has questioned Champat Rai and invited trust member Gopal Rao and interrogated around eight-ten employees suspected of having links to the alleged theft for nearly six hours on the first day, SIT sources said.
On the second day, Rai and Rao were again questioned for about four hours each, focusing on donation collection, accounting procedures and internal monitoring systems, they said.
The next day, the probe was expanded to include bank officials and representatives of a private agency involved in counting donation cash. The SIT examined bank statements and financial records to track the movement of funds and identify any irregularities.
The fourth day saw the team spend nearly 10 hours at the temple complex and question trustee Dr. Anil Mishra for around four hours regarding the counting, storage and deposit of donations, as well as his role in overseeing these processes.
Investigators also sought details about the appointments of trust employees Anukalp and Lavkush Mishra and examined Dr Mishra’s involvement in those decisions. Additionally, Champat Rai’s driver and close aide Tinnu Yadav was questioned for nearly one and half hours.
(Edited by Tony Rai)