Facial recognition system glitches disrupt staff access at Mumbai's Mantralaya secretariat
A facial recognition system deployed at Maharashtra's Mantralaya government secretariat in Mumbai malfunctioned on its first day of operation on February 3, 2025, failing to properly read faces and creating long queues that prevented staff from accessing the building. The system had been activated despite reportedly not undergoing proper trial runs, and data for many employees had not yet been loaded into the system.
What happened
A facial recognition system was activated on Monday, February 3, 2025, at Mantralaya, the Maharashtra government secretariat in Mumbai. The system encountered technical issues on the first day: it could not read faces properly, causing the recognition process to fail and have to be repeated several times. Long queues and confusion marked the implementation, with data for only 1500 officers and employees initially fed into the system, leaving many staffers unable to access the building.
Reported impact
Staff members experienced delays in accessing the building due to the system failures. Journalists with accreditation and Home Department passes were initially denied entry but were allowed in after discussions with officials. A government statement acknowledged the issues and instructed the Information and Technology department to upload the necessary data for future smooth operation.
Index analysis
The system was allegedly launched in a hurry without proper trial runs. According to a government statement, the facial recognition system was installed for internal security purposes at this sensitive government location. The decision to implement facial recognition for improved security and transparency was made at the government level.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.