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Iftar on river, chicken biryani feast, 14 arrests | Varanasi Ganga row explained
While the viral video shows the men eating the meal aboard a boat on the Ganges, the video does not show them discarding bones and leftovers into the river.
An Iftar party on the Ganga River has sparked a row in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. According to the police, 14 men were arrested on allegations of eating chicken biryani and discarding its remains in the river.
A viral video on X showed 14 men marking their iftar on boats on the Ganges River. The men were arrested on a complaint from Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Varanasi city unit president, Rajat Jaiswal, who accused them of discarding the remnants of chicken biryani in the river.
“A video went viral on Monday, purportedly showing a group of people holding an Iftar party on a boat on the Ganga and consuming biryani during the gathering,” Vijay Pratap Singh, additional commissioner of police (ACP), said on Tuesday.
As reported by HT earlier, a case has been registered under sections 298 (defiling a place of worship), 299 (malicious act with intent to outrage religious feelings), 196(1)(B) (promoting enmity), 270 (public nuisance), 279 (fouling water of a public spring or water reservoir), and 223(B) (disobedience of an order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
What are the allegations?
As per Jaiswal, the men discarded chicken biryani and chicken bones into the river during their iftar. His complaint adds that the act was done “deliberately” to hurt Hindu sentiments.
“The Ganga holds deep and unshakeable faith for followers of Sanatan Dharma. Thousands of devotees from across the country and the world visit Kashi every day to perform rituals and offer prayers using Ganga water,” said Jaiswal.
“This act has hurt religious sentiments,” he added.
While the viral video shows the men eating the meal aboard a boat on the Ganga river, the video does not show them discarding bones and leftovers into the river.
The police has also said that the allegations against the men are being investigated.
Meanwhile, another video has been going viral on social media which shows another group of men holding iftar aboard a boat on the Ganga. However, this appears to be a different video and not related to the arrest of the 14 other men.
Gyanvapi Mosque managing committee condemns act
Amid the row, SM Yaseen, joint secretary of the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee has criticised the youths.
“It came to light that certain ignorant individuals were hosting a roza iftar on a boat. Iftar is a purely religious observance; it is neither a social outing nor a picnic. It is mandatory to offer the Maghrib prayers immediately after Iftar. Therefore, hosting roza iftar on board a boat is against the religion. There is no place for such an act.”
The Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee (AIMC) is the Muslim management body responsible for overseeing the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi.
