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Arrest over Ganga iftar party: Owner says gave boat for hire, was taken by surprise over row
Varanasi resident Kashi Sahani says Naju Yadav, who took the 14 men who have been arrested for a ride, often hires boats from him
Police arrested the 14 men based on a video circulating on social media.
Police have identified the owner of the motorboat on which an iftar party was held on March 15, leading to the arrest of 14, in Varanasi. Kashi Sahani, 65, who was let off after questioning, told police he had given the boat on hire to a local resident, Naju Yadav, and had no idea of the controversy.
The 14, who are accused of consuming chicken biryani during the boat ride on the Ganga and disposing of the leftover food in the river, were arrested on Tuesday on a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha district president Rajat Jaiswal.
They have been booked for allegedly injuring or defiling a place of worship, acts causing outrage to religious feelings, promoting enmity between different groups, as well as for public nuisance and under provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.
Sahani told The Indian Express that Yadav, 40, approached him around 5 pm on March 15, a Sunday, seeking to hire his motorboat, which can seat around 30 people, to ferry people for a ride.
A native of Shivalay area in Varanasi, Sahani owns two motorboats as well as two hand-propelled boats, all of them stationed at Rana Mahal Ghat.
Yadav, who lives near Chausathi Ghat, takes customers for boat rides, and Sahani says he has given him his boats on hire before as well.
“Initially, we quoted Rs 100 per passenger, but a deal was finally struck for a lump sum of Rs 1,800 for the boat,” says Sahani’s daughter Naina, 26, who says she was present when the discussion happened.
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The boat had 20-odd people when it set off, says Naina. “They were carrying utensils with them, but it was not unusual, and we don’t check what passengers bring along.”
A bhandara was underway at the ghat that evening, drawing a large crowd, Sahani says, suggesting there was a lot of commotion.
According to Naina, midway through the ride, the motorboat began running low on diesel, and Yadav called them to request for additional fuel. “My brother Anil then took another boat to deliver the fuel. After refilling the diesel, he returned. A few minutes later, Naju also came back with the passengers.”
Police have claimed some members of Sahani’s family were also on the boat during the ride and would be questioned. However, Sahani says only Anil was on it briefly, for the refuelling, and didn’t notice anything.
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He adds that Yadav returned to give back the keys about 45 minutes after setting off with the passengers. Police say they are looking for Yadav to question him.
They came to know about videos of the iftar party and the controversy two days later, along with the arrest of the 14, Sahani says.
“On Wednesday, two policemen came to my house and asked me to report to the Kotwali Police Station. After a brief round of questioning, officials told us we were not at fault and allowed us to leave,” he says.
Shambhu Nishad, organising secretary of the ‘Maa Ganga Nishad Raj Sewa Niyas’, an organisation that represents boat owners in Varanasi, says there was no wrongdoing on Sahani’s part as he had only given his boat for hire and was not even on it when the alleged incident happened.
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Assistant Commissioner of Police, Varanasi, Vijay Pratap Singh said they are searching for two to three more persons in connection with the case.
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