Fourteen Muslim Youths Arrested in Varanasi for Alleged Defilement of Ganga During Iftar Party
In a significant development in Varanasi, fourteen Muslim youths were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly defiling a place of worship and hurting religious feelings. The arrests followed the viral circulation of a video that purportedly showed them holding an iftar party on a boat and disposing of bones and waste from chicken biryani into the sacred river Ganga.
Legal Action Initiated Based on BJP Complaint
The action was taken after a written complaint was filed by Rajat Jaiswal, the city unit chief of the BJP Yuva Morcha, on Monday. According to ACP (Kotwali) Vijay Pratap Singh, based on this complaint, a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and environmental laws.
The charges include:
- Section 298: Defiling a place of worship with the intent to insult a religion.
- Section 299: Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
- Section 196(1)(b): Promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion.
- Section 270: Public nuisance.
- Section 223(b): Disobeying a public servant's order.
- Section 24 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
Identification and Arrest of the Accused
The fourteen accused were identified with the assistance of the viral videos, leading to their arrest. The individuals taken into custody include Mohd Awwal, Amzad Ali, Mohd Samir, Mohd Ahmad alias Raza, Noor Ismail, Mohd Faizan, Mohd Ahmad, Mohd Tahseem, Mahfooj Alam, Mohd Tausif Ahmad, Amir Kaifi, Nehal Afridi, Mohd Anas, and Danish Saifi, all residents of Madanpura.
Singh detailed that a police team received a tip-off about the accused at Gaighat on Tuesday afternoon. Officers reached the location, and after a brief scuffle, managed to arrest them and transport them to the Kotwali police station for further investigation.
Complaint Details and Allegations
The complainant, Rajat Jaiswal, alleged that the viral video depicted the Muslim youths consuming non-vegetarian food during an iftar party while sailing in front of the Bindu Madhav Dharara temple. He claimed they referred to the temple in the background as the Alamgir Mosque and subsequently dumped the waste and bones into the river.
In his statement, Jaiswal emphasized, "The Ganga holds deep and unshakeable faith for followers of Sanatan Dharm. Thousands of devotees from across the country and the world visit Kashi every day to perform rituals and offer prayers using Ganga water. We filed a complaint with video clips as evidence against the act committed with a Jihadi mindset."
This incident has sparked discussions about religious sensitivities and environmental concerns in Varanasi, a city renowned for its spiritual significance. The authorities are continuing their probe to ascertain the full context and implications of the alleged actions.
