In a conversation with Alt News on March 23, the complainant in the Varanasi Iftar-on-boat case offered a series of shifting and evasive responses, mirroring the inconsistencies that now surround the case in which 14 Muslim men were arrested in Varanasi for breaking fast on a boat with Biriyani among other food items.
The controversy began after videos of the men breaking their Ramzan fast on a boat had gone viral. A complaint filed on March 16 by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM)’s Varanasi president Rajat Jaiswal accused them of hurting religious sentiments by consuming non-vegetarian food on the river and disposing of waste into it. The police subsequently arrested 14 men under multiple charges, including hurting religious sentiments, public nuisance and polluting water. Days later, more serious charges — including extortion — were added, significantly raising the legal stakes.
When Alt News contacted Jaiswal, the exchange itself became revealing.
At the very outset, Jaiswal asked this correspondent if she was a Hindu. What followed was a series of pointed questions and evasive responses:
Jaiswal claimed, “We have such deep faith in our Mother Ganga that even eating non-veg there is a grave sin.” He insisted that full evidence had been submitted to the administration and that “the FIR was filed on that basis.”
When asked specifically about his allegation that waste (non-veg food) was dumped into the river, he said, “They ate and then washed their hands, dumping the waste.”
Pressed on how he knew this, he replied, “Everything is known!”
On being asked again how he knew about the waste disposal, Jaiswal first said “I saw it myself”. When asked how he could see it if he was not present on the boat, he deflected saying that people had shared witness accounts.
When asked why people had shared witness accounts with him, Jaiswal said those were shared not with him, but with the administration. He maintained: “Talk to the administration, they’ll explain better.”
Then how did he know about the waste disposal part? Alt News asked him again. Did he see it himself or in a video? Jaiswal refused to clarify, saying, “Come meet me, I’ll show you in person.”
Asked for his location, he responded, “I live in Varanasi,” after which the call was concluded.
Notably, his version appeared to shift. In his video statement, Jaiswal had claimed that bones were being thrown into the Ganga. In his conversation with Alt News, this first changed to “washing hands” in the river — two materially different claims, neither backed by evidence in the available videos reviewed by Alt News. He later appeared to move away from the “washing hands” claim as well, reverting to a broader allegation of “waste disposal,” while offering only vague assertions about how he knew what had transpired on the boat. It is significant that this claim of “non-vegetarian food being disposed of in the river” forms the core of the initial FIR in the case.
The Incident: Viral Video, FIR, Arrests, and Escalating Charges
On March 15, fourteen men — Azad Ali, Aamir Kaiki, Danish Saifi, Mohd. Ahmad, Nehal Afridi, Mahfooz Alam, Mohd. Anas, Mohd. Awwal, Mohd. Tahseem, Mohd. Ahmad alias Raja, Mohd. Noor Ismail, Mohd. Tausif Ahmad, Mohd. Faizan, and Mohd. Sameer — were seen breaking their Ramzan-month fast on a boat, allegedly consuming chicken biryani.
Soon after videos of the gathering went viral, Jaiswal filed a complaint alleging that the men had eaten non-vegetarian food on the Ganga, disposed of waste into the river, and hurt religious sentiments.
In a video statement, he further claimed the group had referred to the Bindu Madhav Dharara temple as “Alamgir Masjid.” It is pertinent that Alamgir Mosque is located about 500 metres from the temple, with the Dharhara Masjid located between them.
“They called the temple Alamgir Masjid… It is clearly visible in the video that non-vegetarian food is being eaten, and bones are being thrown into the Ganga. This is something we Sanatan followers will not tolerate,” he said.
However, Alt News reviewed the viral videos and found no evidence of waste being thrown into the river.
The initial charges against the accused included:
- Section 298 BNS — Defiling a place of worship with intent to insult a religion
- Section 299 BNS — Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings
- Section 196(1)(B) BNS — Promoting enmity between groups on religious grounds
- Section 270 BNS — Public nuisance
- Section 279 BNS — Fouling water of a public spring or reservoir
- Section 223(B) BNS — Disobedience of an order by a public servant
- Section 24, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
Subsequently, two more serious charges were added:
- Section 308(5) BNS — Extortion under threat of death or grievous hurt
- Section 67, Information Technology Act — Publishing or transmitting obscene material (linked to the viral video)
With these additions, the potential punishment increased significantly — from a maximum of around six years (under the Water Act) to up to 10 years due to the extortion charge.
A Varanasi court denied bail to the accused on March 23. They had earlier been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody on March 19, until April 1. While remanding them, additional chief judicial magistrate Amit Kumar Yadav stated: “On the basis of the case diary and other police documents, there are sufficient grounds at this stage to grant remand of the accused persons… the judicial custody… is found to be justified and acceptable.”
The complainant’s lawyers opposed bail, arguing that the accused had acted deliberately to disturb religious harmony at a sensitive site. Appearing before the media, one of them, Nityanand Rai, said that the case had a ‘turning point’ when it was found that the the boat had been taken forcibly against the will of the boatmen.
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: On the arrest of 14 youths in Varanasi for dumping non-vegetarian food into the Ganga during an Iftar party on a boat, Advocate Nityanand Rai says, ”The turning point in the case was the boatmen, as we had mentioned earlier. The statements of Ranjan… pic.twitter.com/JUHjv7rN9G
— IANS (@ians_india) March 19, 2026
On March 20, Jaiswal got another FIR registered at Sigra police station in Varanasi citing constant threat to his life. According to reports, the BJYM Varanasi unit chief complained that he was concerned about his own safety since he lived in a Muslim-dominated area.
The Boat Owner’s Account: Gaps in the Extortion Narrative
The addition of extortion charges raises critical questions, particularly when examined alongside the account of the boat owner’s family.
Kashi Sahani (65), the boat owner, told The Indian Express that on March 15, a local resident named Naju Yadav (40), who was a repeat customer, approached him around 5 pm to hire his motorboat, which could seat about 30 people. Initially quoted at Rs 100 per person, the fare was eventually settled at Rs 1800 as a lump sum, according to Sahani’s daughter Naina, who was present during negotiations.
Naina stated that passengers were carrying utensils and this was not unusual. During the trip, Sahani’s son Anil even boarded the boat briefly to deliver additional fuel after Yadav called the Sahanis to inform that the boat was running low on fuel. Anil noticed nothing unusual.
The boat was returned within 45 minutes, with Yadav handing back the keys. The family said everything appeared routine, and they only learned about the controversy two days later when police summoned Sahani for questioning. According to reports, police are still on the lookout for Yadav.
To summarise their account: A regular client hired the boat, negotiated a price, completed a short trip, returned the keys, and left without any reported conflict, coercion or disturbance.
This raises key questions: When did the alleged extortion and threats occur?
It is worth noting that the statement of the complainant’s lawyer to the media — that the boat was taken against the will of Sahanis — is directly contradictory to the family’s testimony to the Indian Express.
When Alt News contacted Naina Sahani, she declined to comment further: “Jo hona tha ho gaya hai, jaane dijiye. Uske baarein mein baat nahi karni hai.” (“Whatever had to happen has happened. Let it go. I do not want to talk about it.”)
As it stands, the accused have been remanded to judicial custody and face serious charges — including extortion — despite key elements of the case remaining uncorroborated. Meanwhile, Jaiswal’s own closing remarks in his video statement underscore the broader context:
“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.”)
His statement, like the shifting claims and escalating charges in the case, raises pressing questions about evidence, intent, and the use of law in a case that began with a viral video of an Iftar on the Ganges.
Alt News made multiple calls to Varanasi police commissioner Mohit Agarwal and two ACPs, but got no responses. This story will be updated as and when we get a response.
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