An Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the director general of police rank stirred a controversy when he openly favoured the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya ‘at the earliest’. A video showing Surya Kumar Shukla, DG, Homeguard taking this 'pledge' during an event on Ram Mandir organised at Lucknow University two days ago has gone viral. ‘We Ram-bhakts, today, as part of this programme, take this pledge that at the earliest, the Ram Mandir be constructed. Jai Shri Ram,’ the video showed the 1982-batch Indian Police Service officer as saying. Many other people were also seen taking the pledge with him at the event, where slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ was raised. Shukla, however, said he had done nothing wrong.