A senior Uttar Pradesh IPS officer has stoked controversy after a video surfaced appearing to show him taking a pledge at an event for the ‘the early construction of Ram temple’ in Ayodhya.
“Hum sab Ram-bhakt, aaj ke karyakram ke dauraan, yeh sankalp letey hain, ki jald se jald Ram mandir ka bhavya nirman ho (We all Ram-devotees, during this event, take the pledge to ensure the construction of Ram temple as soon as possible),” Surya Kumar Shukla, DG (Home Guards), along with others, were seen saying in the video that has gone viral on social media. He was attending an event on Ram Mandir organised at Lucknow University on January 31.
However, Shukla was quick to dismiss the allegations and stated that his statement was misinterpreted. “There has been a misinterpretation. I had clearly said Ram Mandir issue is sub-judice, it won’t be appropriate to speak on it. The pledge was for communal harmony and not Ram Mandir,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
SHOCKER...@UPGovt 's Top police officer takes oath to 'help build ram temple at the earliest'... @Uppolice DG homeguard IPS Surya kumar Shukla taking oath for Ram temple...@myogiadityanath @PMOIndia @OfficeOfRG @CNNnews18 @SitaramYechury @BJP4India @yadavakhilesh pic.twitter.com/gmb1hsGNhI
— pranshumishra (@pranshumisraa) February 2, 2018
Shukla is a 1982 batch IPS officer and is due to retire in August.
Asserting that he had done nothing wrong, Shukla said, “I was taking a pledge to create an atmosphere of harmony. The video that has gone viral is an edited version and portions have been deleted deliberately to create mischief.” He also said there was a discussion at the programme that if Hindus and Muslims talk about the construction of the temple in Ayodhya and a mosque at a distance from there, then the dispute will end.
The Supreme Court has suggested that a way should be found through talks, he added.
Reacting to the development, SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary called it a violation of service rules by the IPS officer. “Shukla is a public servant, and he is not supposed to take such a pledge at a public function,” he said.
Congress leader Deepak Singh said, “Till now, leaders use to befool people in the name of temple, now officers are doing the same. The government should take note of this.”
BJP spokesmen were not ready to comment on the episode, claiming they had not seen the video.
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