Overview
- A Special Investigation Team has seized a network video recorder from Badrinath and said key CCTV recordings appear to have been tampered with or removed, with deleted files being sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for recovery.
- An FIR was registered after a complaint by Badrinath Temple officials and the SIT has recorded statements from counting-room staff and CCTV control-room personnel as the probe expands.
- Mansa Devi Temple distributed pocketless clothing to priests and staff on Wednesday and said its 65 CCTV cameras plus a rule of issuing donation receipts will strengthen oversight of offerings.
- Similar irregularity reports have surfaced from other shrines, including Baglamukhi in Madhya Pradesh and Ambaji in Gujarat, prompting inspections and tighter counting and transport procedures at several temples.
- The controversy highlights how cash offerings are handled at major temples and could drive lasting changes such as standardized receipts, stricter counting rooms and wider use of forensic checks while devotees await recovered footage and possible criminal action.