The Varanasi Iftar party on a boat has continued to reveal a series of shifting versions of accounts, according to a conversation with the complainant, Rajat Jaiswal, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM)’s city president.
On March 16, Jaiswal lodged a complaint accusing the 14 Muslim youth of hurting religious sentiments by eating non-vegetarian food on the Ganga river and throwing the waste in the water. The police had promptly booked the 14 men under several charges, including public nuisance, hurting religious sentiments and polluting water.
During a judicial hearing on their bail, more charges were added after the boat owners claimed the youth had forcibly taken their vehicle. The police subsequently added extortion, which could lead to more than 10 years of imprisonment. The court also refused them bail.
Jaiswal claims to have seen the youth throw waste even though he was not around
Jaiswal told AltNews that the accused ate the food, washed their hands and proceeded to dump the waste in the water.
“We have such deep faith in our Mother Ganga that even eating non-veg there is a grave sin,” he said, adding that there was “full evidence” submitted to the authorities based on which the first information report (FIR) was registered.
When asked how he received information about the incident, Jaiswal replied, “Everything is known!”
When he was pressed again about how he knew about the waste disposal, he claimed to have seen it himself. “I saw it myself,” he said initially, then reportedly deflected the next question about his whereabouts during the incident, instead citing eyewitness accounts
However, he said that the witnesses talked to the police and not him. “Talk to the administration, they’ll explain better,” Jaiswal told AltNews.
Complainant’s changing views
In a video statement, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) youth wing chief had said bones from the chicken biryani were thrown into the Ganga. In his interview with AltNews, he changed it to “washing hands” in the river, significantly different claims with no proof in the videos.
He later even changed the washing hands statement, instead reverting to the wider accusation of “waste disposal,” while offering little to no information about he knew what actually occurred on the boat during the iftar party.
Since his claims formed the core of the FIR, it is important to ascertain whether the youth had in fact thrown non-vegetarian food waste in the river.
Boat owners’ claims add to the changing narratives
On March 15, the boat owner, Kashi Sahani, told The Indian Express that a local resident, Naju Yadav, who was a regular customer, asked to hire his motorboat at around 5 pm.
Sahani’s daughter Naina, present during the negotiations, said the passengers were carrying utensils and did not find it unusual, since this was normal. Sahani’s son, Anil, had even boarded the boat briefly to give additional fuel after Yadav informed Sahani of low fuel. Even Anil noticed no unusual activity.
The boat was returned in under an hour, with Yadav handing over the keys. The family noted that the interaction felt completely normal, and they only became aware of any issue two days later when the police called Sahani in for questioning. While Sahani has cooperated, authorities are reportedly still searching for Yadav.
This narrative again changed in the court, as the complainant’s lawyer told the media that the boat was forcefully taken against Sahani’s will, contrary to their statement to The Indian Express.
Currently, the accused are in judicial custody and face severe allegations, such as extortion, even though significant parts of the case lack supporting evidence. Amidst these developments, Jaiswal’s concluding comments in the video statement highlight the wider implications of the situation.
“In logon ko yeh nahi bhulna chahiye ki pradesh mein Yogi ji sarkar hai aur desh mein Narendra Modi ji ka sarkar hai toh is tarah ki kritya inn Muslim yuvako ko nahi karna chahiye tha. (People should not forget that in the state there is Yogi ji’s government and in the country, there is Narendra Modi ji’s government, so Muslim youth should not have committed acts of this kind).”
Jaiswal’s and the boat owner’s testimonies have raised questions about what really transpired and if the youth facing action truly deserve a case being filed against them with just a viral video of iftar on the Ganga.
