Mansa Devi Temple Priests Must Now Wear Pocketless Attire Amid Donation Scandal

Mansa Devi temple priests wear attire without pockets amid donation management concerns

Haridwar, July 15

Mansa Devi Temple Trust Chairman Ravindra Puri welcomed the new dress code, stating that all priests and staff members have since adhered to the requirement of wearing pocketless attire.

"When I arrived at the temple and observed the priests and staff, I noticed that none of their kurtas had pockets. Those who are opposing us are trying to tarnish the reputation of the Mansa Devi Temple... I would never seek to defame them... However, this situation compelled me to decide that our priests should wear attires without pockets while on duty... I have installed sixty-five cameras; anyone caught on camera engaging in wrongdoing will not be spared... We agreed that offerings made by devotees should go to the temple rather than directly to the priests; all the priests have accepted this arrangement..." Puri told ANI.

This decision comes in the wake of the prevailing row over the alleged Badrinath Temple donation theft. The investigation stems from alleged irregularities detected during the counting of cash offerings made by devotees at the Badrinath temple on July 2. A preliminary inquiry allegedly found that cash was removed from the counting area in violation of established procedures.

The FIR in the case was registered at Badrinath Police Station following a complaint by BKTC In-charge Temple Officer Yudhvir Pushpwan, whose statement was also recorded by the SIT. Statements of other BKTC officials, including CCTV control officer Panwar and Harender Kothari, who was present during the counting of donations, were also recorded as part of the investigation.

Additionally, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has seized key digital evidence from the temple premises.

Speaking to ANI, SIT Officer Mahadev Uniyal confirmed that the police have taken control of the surveillance records to identify irregularities in the handling of temple offerings.

"We have taken into possession an NVR (Network Video Recorder) from the CCTV control room within the temple complex. It contains full CCTV footage from June 22nd and June 25th. We have seized this," Uniyal said.

The officer further revealed that certain crucial recordings appeared to have been tampered with or removed.

"Additionally, the footage regarding the previous cash counting sessions that has been deleted will be sent to the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) for recovery," he added.

Earlier on July 14, a committee constituted to examine the alleged theft of donations at the Badrinath Temple visited Badrinath Dham and reviewed the process of how donations are handled and transported and arrangements within the counting room.

Speaking to ANI, Managing Director (MD) of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), Sandeep Tiwari, said, "Today, we visited Badrinath Dham under the chairmanship of the Commissioner to inspect the entire process, specifically, how donations are handled, how the donation boxes are transported to the counting room, the arrangements within the counting room, the CCTV setup, the staff involved in the counting, and the timing of the bank officials' arrival. We have reviewed this entire procedure as well as past CCTV recordings.

"We have also examined the details regarding the arrested accused. Since this was our first visit to observe the process, the investigation will continue; we will record statements from the complainant and provide an opportunity for members of the public to share any information they might have. We are also authorised to seek expert opinions, such as from forensic experts or the cyber cell, if necessary," he added.

— ANI