Varanasi Police have arrested 14 people on charges of defiling a place of worship and hurting religious sentiments after a video allegedly showed them eating chicken biryani during an Iftar gathering on a boat in the Ganga river, officials said Tuesday. The arrests followed a complaint filed on Monday by Rajat Jaiswal, city chief of the BJP Yuva Morcha. The case was registered at Kotwali police station. According to the complaint, an Iftar party was organized on a boat in the river, during which non-vegetarian food was consumed and leftovers were allegedly thrown into the water. The video of the gathering circulated widely on social media, leading to police action. Jaiswal said the incident hurt the sentiments of Hindu devotees. “The Ganga holds deep and unshakeable faith for the 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,” he said. “In such a situation, eating biryani on a boat in the middle of the river and throwing its leftovers into the water is completely inappropriate. This act appears to have been done with the intention of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus,” he added. Additional Commissioner of Police Vijay Pratap Singh said authorities took note after the video went viral on Monday. The footage purportedly showed a group holding an Iftar gathering on a boat and consuming biryani. Police registered a case under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including sections related to defiling a place of worship, deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings, promoting enmity between groups, public nuisance, and polluting water sources. Provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, were also invoked. For the Latest news, India News and breaking stories from around the world, visit Times Now for live coverage and in-depth reporting. Arpita Ghosh (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at Times Now Digital, with over eight years of experience in digital journalism. She has worked across v... View More