SIT doing its job, no need to interfere: Shia cleric on Owaisi’s Ram Mandir remarks

Lucknow, July 1 (IANS) All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) spokesperson Maulana Yasoob Abbas on Wednesday said that All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi should not interfere in the internal politics of Uttar Pradesh following the latter’s remarks over the investigation into Ayodhya’s Ram Temple donation embezzlement case.

Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor on Monday, Owaisi, while taking a jibe at the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government, said that if there had been a Muslim in the Ram Mandir Trust, the government would have shot him in an encounter and bulldozed his house by now.

“They should have kept a Muslim in the temple trust and closed the case with his encounter and by bulldozing his house. But currently the accused are enjoying,” Owaisi had said.

Reacting to this, Shia cleric Abbas told IANS, “There is no need to make such statements, as the Ayodhya issue is a very serious one.”

“The Chief Minister and the SIT are examining the entire matter seriously. Therefore, in my opinion, there is no need for outsiders to interfere in internal politics,” Abbas added.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh CM Adityanath has granted an additional 15 days to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the theft in offerings from the donation box of the Ram Temple, to complete its investigation.

Initially, the SIT was instructed to present a final report within 15 days, with an initial report expected in seven days.

With the deadline extended, the team will now conduct a comprehensive review of the temple administration, focussing on the roughly 50 staff members tasked with counting the offerings, as well as the CCTV footage.

CM Adityanath has already stated that the SIT’s investigation will be entirely unbiased and that no one found guilty will escape accountability. He has also urged the devotees of Lord Ram to be patient and to share any documentary evidence with the SIT.

–IANS

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