AYODHYA Three days before the executive committee meeting of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Friday said the alleged embezzlement of Ram temple donations has “deeply hurt” the faith of Ram devotees and all of society and the SIT must ensure the guilty face severe punishment.RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale (File Photo)“We are all extremely pained and angered by this event,” the RSS second-in-command said in a statement on X.Asserting that “anti-Hindu and anti-national forces” are seeking to malign Hindu dharma by exploiting the “unfortunate incident”, Hosabale called on all Hindus to display necessary patience and restraint to thwart such “conspiracies”.“The unfortunate incident has deeply hurt sentiments and faith of the entire society and Ram devotees,” he said. It is natural for all of Hindu society, including the RSS, to expect the Trust to treat this “highly condemnable” incident as an extraordinary matter and take effective steps to rectify all shortcomings in temple management and operations, he added.He noted that the UP government constituted a Special Investigation Team and initiated legal proceedings based on its recommendations “at the earnest request” of the Trust. It is essential to ensure that anyone found guilty after the investigation faces severe punishment, he said, emphasising that the current “state of confusion and uncertainty” must end.