A video going viral on social media (here, here, and here) shows a mob attacking a group of sadhus, claiming that it is from an incident where a camera was found in a women’s changing room within the temple premises in Muradnagar, Ghaziabad. The live feed was allegedly visible on the phone of temple caretaker (mahant) Mukesh Goswami, which also contained videos of women changing clothes. An FIR has been filed against him, and that he is currently absconding. Let’s verify the claim made in the post in this article.
Claim: The video shows a mob attacking sadhus for hiding a camera in a women’s changing room within the temple premises in Muradnagar, Ghaziabad.
Fact: The viral video shows an incident from January 2024 in Purulia district, West Bengal, where a group of Gangasagar-bound sadhus were assaulted by locals following a misunderstanding. Multiple reports and a post by the Purulia District Police confirm this. The video in question is unrelated to the May 2024 incident in Muradnagar, Ghaziabad, where a hidden camera was found inside a women’s changing room within the temple premises. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to multiple media reports (here, here, and here) dated 13 January 2024, which featured the same visuals. According to these reports, the video shows an incident in West Bengal’s Purulia district, where a group of Gangasagar-bound sadhus were stripped and assaulted. This confirms that the video is not related to Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
We also found an X post by the Purulia District Police dated 13 January 2024, which addressed the incident. It stated that on 11 January 2024, a misunderstanding took place between three Gangasagar-bound sadhus and a few local minor girls. This led locals to suspect a kidnapping attempt, following which they assaulted the sadhus and vandalised their vehicle. The police clarified that twelve individuals were arrested in connection with the incident and confirmed that there was no communal angle.
To verify the claim regarding the incident of a CCTV camera in Uttar Pradesh, we conducted a keyword search and found multiple reports (here, here, and here) of a similar incident from May 2024 in Muradnagar, Ghaziabad. On 21 May 2024, a woman and her daughter discovered a hidden camera in a women’s changing room near the Ganga canal, close to a temple. Priest Mukesh Goswami, who had four prior cases, had allegedly watched the footage on his phone. He was absconding at the time. Police registered FIR (0343/2024) under IPC sections 354, 354C, 504, and 506. The changing room was demolished, and encroachments at the site were cleared.
In October 2024, the Allahabad High Court granted bail to the accused Mukesh Giri (Criminal Misc. Anticipatory Bail Application No. 6153 of 2024). He later filed a quash petition in the same court (Application U/S 528 BNSS No. 3921 of 2025). In April 2025, the court issued a stay on the legal proceedings by the Special Judge, POCSO Act, Ghaziabad, until the next hearing.
Additionally, in an X post (archived) by the DCP of the Rural Commissionerate, Ghaziabad, dated 04 August 2025, responding to the viral claim. The post clarified that the video is not related to the Ghaziabad incident and that legal action had already been taken in the matter. It further stated that the incident is old, the video is not connected to the Muradnagar Gangnahar Temple, and warned that legal action would be taken against those spreading false rumours.
To sum up, an unrelated video from West Bengal is falsely linked to the May 2024 case of a hidden camera found in a changing room at a temple in Uttar Pradesh.
