A court in Jammu is hearing a plea claiming possible adulteration and misappropriation of silver worth around Rs 550 crore donated by devotees at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.
The controversy arose from reports that only around 5-6% of the approximately 20 tonnes of the shrine’s accumulated silver offerings was found to be actual silver. The complainant sought an investigation into whether devotees had been sold fake silver articles, or whether genuine silver offerings had been diluted and pilfered after their receipt.
As questions swirl, here’s a look at how the controversy arose and how the shrine board handles donations of cash, gold and silver — from donation box to storage.
What is offered at the shrine?
Each year, nearly one crore pilgrims visit the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in the Trikuta hills in Jammu division. They commonly donate cash, and gold and silver items.
In earlier years, the gold items donated at the shrine each month would weigh a total of 2-2.5 kg. But as prices increased over the years, donations of the yellow metal dipped to around a kilo each month.
Meanwhile, offerings of “silver” are at nearly 100 kg each month. This silver is in the form of “chhatars” (umbrellas or parasols), coins or ornaments. These donated chhatars, coins and ornaments have now reportedly been found to contain a very low proportion of the precious metal.
Shrine officials say they have found no purity issues with the gold items donated at the shrine. They say these gold offerings are found to contain 70-75% per cent of pure gold on testing. But these officials also believe that this purity may also decline in the future owing to the increasing prices of the yellow metal and the circulation of 16 gram (gm), 14 gm and even one gm gold jewellery in the market.
How did the controversy arise?
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board had reportedly sent around 20 tonnes of accumulated silver, stated to be worth around Rs 550 crore, for testing, melting and processing to a government mint outside Jammu and Kashmir.
When the melted material was tested to check its purity, it was reportedly found to contain only 5-6% of silver. The rest was cadmium, iron and cheap materials. Cadmium is a metallic chemical element that resembles silver. It is, however, highly toxic and classified as a carcinogen (something that can cause cancer).
The question that arises here is this: Were the offerings made by the devotees made of adulterated silver in the first place, or whether any adulteration took place after the donations were made.
Shrine Board officials say the low percentage of silver does not necessarily imply any wrongdoing as chhatars, coins and other ornaments available in the market may not have been of the highest purity in the first place.
But others, including the complainant, claim that pilgrims would not deliberately donate “fake” silver items to their deity.
The value of silver is around Rs 2.30 lakh per kg, but cadmium costs only around Rs 500 per kg. This huge price difference has led to the claims of misappropriation of the silver donated at the shrine.
How are these offerings tracked at the shrine?
Pilgrims themselves place gold, silver and cash in donation boxes at various places within the shrine complex. These boxes are double locked, kept under 24×7 CCTV surveillance and guarded by CRPF personnel and the guards from the shrine board.
When these boxes get filled, an officer of the rank of Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and a shrine Board official open them and count the cash. The gold and silver items are weighed separately and then sealed in packets for safe custody in a strong room.
The entire exercise is carried out under CCTV surveillance. The strongroom, too, is guarded round the clock by CRPF personnel. After five-six months, when an ample quantity of these gold and silver items get accumulated, they are brought down to Katra town, sometimes via helicopter, under the watchful eyes of CRPF personnel, shrine board officials and the SDM. The seals on the packets are checked and weighed again before keeping them in another strongroom at the Shrine Board office, again guarded by personnel from a Central Armed Police Force.
What happens to the melted material?
After deriving gold and silver in their pure form from it, the Shrine Board gets coins manufactured from the government mint itself with photographs of Mata Vaishno Devi inscribed on them. These coins are later sold by the shrine board to pilgrims with a guaranteed purity of 99.9%.
What did the complaint allege?
The complaint, made on May 9 with the J&K crime branch, had alleged serious cognisable offences, including criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, misappropriation, manipulation of records and the possible procurement or use of cadmium-laden material.
The complainant sought an investigation into whether devotees had been sold fake or adulterated silver articles by vendors and jewellers, or whether genuine silver offerings had been substituted, diluted, pilfered or misappropriated at any stage after their receipt.
He also sought an investigation into the source, manufacture, procurement and supply chain of the alleged cadmium-laden material, as well as the fixing of responsibility upon all persons found involved.
He then moved court saying that the crime branch had not acted on his complaint.
A view of the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu. Wikimedia Commons 
Share
