LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh director Homeguard, created flutter after he got caught on camera taking a pledge to construct a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya on Friday.
Taking cognizance of the issue, the state home department has sought an explanation from the officer concerned.
A video of DG, Homeguard, Surya Kumar Shukla has gone viral on social media. It shows the officer taking a pledge along with others to build a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Shukla was seen participating in some event in which others participants were heard chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram.’
Notably, the event was organized at the Lucknow University campus. Chief of Muslim Rashtriya Manch, Azam Khan was also present, for the event held on January 28. The video of it went viral on Friday.
Shukla and others can be seen taking the pledge as: “Hum sab Ram-bhakt, aaj ke karyakram ke dauraan, yeh sankalp letey hain, ki jald se jald Ram mandir ka bhavya nirman ho (We the Ram-devotees, take the pledge during that grand Ram temple should be constructed as soon as possible).
The DG admitted having participated in the event which allegedly was organised by the members of Muslim community who wanted to assure their support to the cause of temple in Ayodhya.
“It was an event attended by the members of both communities during which I tried to convince the participants that a peaceful settlement through mutual consent was the only solution to the age-old issue,” explained the DG.
He added that the video is a handiwork of some mischievous elements. “The pledge has been misinterpreted,” he claimed.
“The pledge was taken to arrive at a peaceful settlement of the dispute in consonance with the Supreme Court’s suggestion and not Ram Mandir,” he maintained.
When asked if it was proper to take such a pledge when the matter was sub-judice, the DG said even he was also trying to convince the participants about it.