Sack Replaced with a Metal Box

Today, I feel genuinely happy and proud that my citizen report was taken seriously by the government and that action was finally taken against the corruption at Sarnath. When I visited the site to make a follow-up report, I was honestly shocked to see the scale of changes. Some of my colleagues had already mentioned improvements at Sarnath, but I was not expecting such a significant transformation. The first change I noticed was at the ticket counter itself. The staff was different—especially the main person involved in the earlier scam, who has since been transferred and later suspended (though I am not entirely sure about the suspension yet).

Sack is replaced with a metal box

New Tickets with Barcode and Unique Number

When I bought my ticket, I noticed the second major change: the ticket design. The new tickets now had a barcode and a unique serial number, making them traceable. The third change was at the gate, where the ticket checker was also a new face. He carefully tore the ticket into two parts, kept one half, and returned the other to me—exactly as the law requires. The fourth change came as a surprise. My camera was checked to determine whether it was for still photography or videography. Since filming requires an additional fee of Rs. 25, they were making sure nobody was shooting videos without paying.

new tickets with bar code and unique number

Metal Box Instead of Sack

The fifth and perhaps the most important change was that the old sack used to store tickets was gone. It had been replaced with a locked metal box. Once tickets went inside, there was no way to take them out and resell them. As I walked inside, I noticed more changes. There were more security guards on duty, and this time they were actively working. They patrolled continuously, stopped people from walking on the ruins, and even helped visitors. Everyone seemed alert and professional. The monument itself looked cleaner than I had ever seen it before. After spending about an hour walking around, I sat near the entrance gate to quietly observe the system. Every single ticket was checked, torn properly, and placed into the locked box. Another new rule was being enforced as well: people were not allowed to bring food inside. This has clearly helped reduce littering, keeping the site cleaner.

tickets were teard off

A Surprising Photograph

I wanted to document the new employee, but I wasn’t sure how to ask for his photo directly. So, I made a small plan with my friend. As I approached the exit, my friend pretended to ask me to get photographed in front of the entrance gate. While I was posing, something unexpected happened—the ticket checker himself called me over and asked to be photographed with me! He smiled, shook my hand, and posed happily for the photo. He had no idea that I was the person behind these changes. He didn’t know that his transfer to Varanasi was because of my report. He didn’t know that his chance of earning illegal money by reselling tickets was gone because of my work. I couldn’t help but laugh quietly to myself.

shaked hand happy cause he did not know that I was the who exposed the curroption

Feeling Proud

For a moment, I was nervous about being recognized, but none of the staff knew me since they were all new hires. In the end, I felt incredibly proud and relieved. Seeing real change on the ground made me believe in the power of speaking up.

Stupa at Sarnath

CNN-IBN broadcasted my follow-up report, and once again, I was reminded that raising your voice against corruption can make a difference.

Exposing Corruption in Varanasi: My Experience with CNN IBN

A few weeks ago, CNN IBN contacted me regarding corruption stories from Varanasi. They explained that they run a program called Citizen Journalist, where ordinary people step forward as reporters to expose crimes and irregularities. I was already familiar with the show, as it’s quite popular in India, and I decided to contribute. They had found me through my blog, where I had previously written about several corruption cases. Like many other Indian citizens, I had witnessed corruption at almost every level of society, but now I finally had a platform to bring these stories to light.

Babu, Erica, Chitra and I

The Stories I Shared

I provided CNN IBN with four stories:

1. Corruption in MNREGA implementation

2. Corruption in Varanasi’s drinking water supply

3. Irregularities in sewage treatment plants

4. Encroachment of sacred ponds and the scam in ticketing at Sarnath

To strengthen these stories, they asked me to find people directly affected by these corrupt practices. Through Lok Samiti, I identified villagers suffering under MNREGA corruption. I also contacted Shanti Lal Jain, a social worker who had worked extensively on Ganga issues, to speak about sewage treatment plant corruption. For the ponds, I reached out to a retired engineer who had used the Right to Information Act to reveal illegal encroachments and obtained a High Court directive ordering restoration of ponds captured after 1957. The last story, however, was something I had personally experienced countless times—the scam at the ticketing counter in Sarnath.

explaning the corruption

The Scam at Sarnath

At Sarnath’s excavation site, ticket collectors were pocketing entire tickets instead of tearing them in half as required by law. The untouched tickets were then resold, generating illegal revenue. This practice was carried out openly, with the involvement of government employees and even some tourist guides who received a share of the profits. I was repeatedly offered participation in this scam but had always refused. As a guide, I have many opportunities to earn through commissions, but I have always believed in honest work.

This time, however, I saw a chance to do something meaningful. Still, I was worried about the risks—ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) could easily retaliate by canceling my tourist guide license. To be safe, I consulted my brother, who also works in the tourism industry. His advice was blunt but motivating: “Go and expose them.”

Collecting Evidence

CNN IBN asked me to gather proof before the crew arrived. My friend Babu and I went to Sarnath, where we filmed ticket collectors directly dropping tickets into a sack instead of tearing them. Later, when the CNN IBN crew reached Varanasi, they worked on the other stories first. Each story created an impact: the woman affected by MNREGA corruption received her salary, and the administration began looking into pond restoration.

new tickets with bar code and unique number

For the Sarnath story, I needed volunteers to act as tourists. I advertised on Couchsurfing and eventually chose a British couple staying at my guesthouse. On the filming day, we staged a visit. From a distance, the crew captured footage of the collectors keeping tickets whole. When we had enough evidence, we confronted them on camera. As soon as the ticket collector saw the camera, he hurriedly tore the ticket and returned half to the volunteer, trying to cover his tracks. We immediately checked the sack and found over 500 fresh tickets—clear evidence of resale.

volunteer Erica

The Confrontation

Soon after, an ASI employee from the ticket counter arrived. When questioned, he gave absurd explanations, claiming Sri Lankan tourists and young couples often discarded tickets, which staff collected and tore later. These excuses were laughable, especially since I had witnessed them reselling tickets myself. Later, a female ASI employee openly admitted on camera that the scam had been happening for years and that every government employee at the excavation site was involved. This confirmation gave me immense relief and confidence. We also attempted to speak to the officer in charge of Sarnath, but he literally ran away upon seeing us.

the officer in charge’s office

Public Support and Aftermath

Filming at the entrance drew large crowds. At one point, I was surrounded by nearly 100 people chanting slogans against corruption. Their support gave me strength in what was otherwise a very tense moment. The next morning, every local newspaper reported the story, though none mentioned me or CNN IBN directly. The officer in charge claimed ignorance and promised action, which I knew was just a cover-up. Nevertheless, I urged CNN IBN to escalate the matter to ASI’s regional office in Patna and the head office in Delhi.

filming

I now feel more secure, especially since an ASI officer herself admitted to the scam on record. For me, the greatest reward was not media recognition, but the overwhelming public support and the satisfaction of exposing a system that had been cheating tourists and staining the reputation of Sarnath for years.

show recording