In what could be seen as an instigating act, a top officer – the UP Director General Home Guards, Surya Kumar Shukla – allegedly took an oath “to build the Ram Temple at the earliest.”
The video, which was doing the rounds on social media, shows Shukla along with a few others as saying, “Today at this event, we vow to initiate the construction of Ram Mandir at the earliest.”
Shukla, a 1982 batch IPS officer, made the controversial pledge at an event organised by Akhil Bharatiya Samagra Vichar Manch on the Lucknow University campus, reported Hindustan Times.
The pledge taken by Suryakumar Shukla over a matter that is sub-judice is a violation of the code of service.
The IPS Association, in a tweet, distanced itself from Shukla.
In an exclusive interview with The Quint, Secretary of the IPS Association, Ashish Gupta said:
The purpose of our association is to project the image of police in a positive manner. At the same time we want to project the good work done by our officers to the public, to motivate them. We are very clear that to set the benchmark of good policing, we are with the ‘correct’. If there are to be any aberrations that might distort this image, then we will react. We stand for neutrality and fairness, and we want to convey this to the public and our people.
When asked about the video, Shukla justified his acts maintaining that it was a step towards peace.
He told ANI that the pledge was taken at an “indoor event” after two Muslim men Raza Rizvi and Mohammad Azam had said that they were trying to bring about a consensus among the Muslim community to ensure the construction of the Ram Mandir.
I explained to the gentlemen that the matter is sub-judice in the Supreme Court... but it was an act to solve an old dispute and restore peace in the society. Why will I say anything that will disturb the peace of the nation?Surya Kumar Shukla
The event was held in the auditorium of the department of public administration, Lucknow University, and was titled ‘Ram Mandir nirmaan: Samasya evam samadhaan’ reported Hindustan Times.
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