Viral Ganga Boat Party Case: Five Accused Granted Bail in Varanasi

VARANASI — A local court has granted bail to five individuals arrested earlier this week after a video showing them allegedly consuming liquor and eating non-vegetarian food on a boat in the Ganga river went viral, sparking widespread outrage among local devotees.

The Court of the Executive Magistrate and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Third) ordered the release of the accused on the condition that they furnish a personal bond alongside two sureties of ₹20,000 each. The accused were legally represented by advocate Vikas Singh during the bail hearing.

Arrests and Seizures Following Social Media Outrage

The incident came to light after a video began circulating widely on social media platforms, drawing sharp condemnation from devotees who regard the Ganga as sacred. Following the public backlash, a police surveillance team traced and arrested five individuals, identified as:

Deepak Kumar (Sujabad Padav)

Ajay Sahani (Boat Operator)

Arun Kumar Sahani (Domri, Ramnagar)

Anurag Nishad (Sujabad, Ramnagar)

Rahul Sahani (Bandha Road, Sujabad, Ramnagar)

In addition to the arrests, local police official confirmed that the boat used during the alleged party has been seized as part of the ongoing investigation.

Video Traced Back Six Months

Providing details on the timeline, Assistant Commissioner of Police Dr. Atul Anjan Tripathi noted that the viral footage was not recent. Investigations revealed that the video was actually recorded nearly six months ago near the city's prominent Man Mandir Ghat.

"Despite the delay in the video surfacing, strict action was initiated as soon as it gained traction online and hurt religious sentiments," Dr. Tripathi stated.