14 Arrested in Varanasi for Iftar on Ganga River

In Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, police arrested 14 individuals on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, following a viral social media video that showed them hosting an Iftar party on a boat in the Ganga River and consuming chicken biryani. The footage, which surfaced on Monday, prompted complaints that the gathering had offended Hindu religious sentiments and polluted the sacred waterway.

The incident occurred on Monday when the group, consisting of local residents in their 20s and early 30s, organized the meal to break their Ramadan fast. Authorities identified the participants through the video, which depicted them eating from a large pot and discarding food remnants into the river. Most of those arrested are employed at saree shops in the city, and police stated that the recording was made for a social media reel aimed at gaining online followers.

The arrests stemmed from a complaint filed at Kotwali police station by Rajat Jaiswal, head of the Bharatiya Janata Party's youth wing in Varanasi. Jaiswal alleged that the act of eating non-vegetarian food on the river and disposing of leftovers violated the site's sanctity. "The Ganga holds deep and unshakeable faith for the followers of Sanatan...