14 arrested in Varanasi over Iftar party on Ganga boat, chicken biryani left in river

Fourteen people were arrested on Tuesday after a video showing them holding an Iftar party on a boat in the Ganga river near Panchganga Ghat went viral on social media, prompting allegations that their actions hurt religious sentiments and defiled a sacred space, officials said.

The complaint was filed on Monday by Rajat Jaiswal , city unit chief of the BJP Yuva Morcha, at the Kotwali police station. Jaiswal said the Iftar party was held on a boat in the middle of the Ganga and that leftovers, including chicken biryani, were thrown into the river. “The Ganga holds deep and unshakeable faith for followers of Sanatan Dharma. Eating food on a boat and discarding leftovers into the river is completely inappropriate and appears intended to hurt Hindu religious sentiments,” he said.

Additional Commissioner of Police Vijay Pratap Singh confirmed that the video went viral on Monday and that action was taken based on the complaint. An FIR has been registered under multiple provisions of law, including Section 298 IPC (injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult religion), Section 299 IPC (deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings), Section 196(1)(b) IPC (promoting enmity between groups on religious grounds), Section 270 IPC (public nuisance), Section 279 IPC (fouling water of a public spring or reservoir), and relevant sections of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 .

Authorities clarified that eating food on the river itself is not illegal, but the arrests were made because the act was perceived as disrespectful , potentially polluting, and likely to hurt religious sentiments. Police have identified all 14 accused as local residents, and further investigation, including collection of witness statements, is ongoing.