'We seek forgiveness from entire Hindu community’: Accused in Varanasi Ganga iftar case granted bail

Observing that the accused had shown “genuine remorse” by tendering an unconditional apology for the act attributed to them, the Allahabad High Court granted bail to six Muslim men arrested in the Varanasi Ganga iftar case. In an affidavit before the court, the applicants said they sought forgiveness “from the entire Hindu community” and pledged lifelong respect for Mother Ganga.

Justice Rajiv Lochan Shukla granted bail to the six accused after noting that eight co-accused in the same FIR (First Information Report) had already been granted similar relief on 15 May. With the latest order, all 14 accused in the case have now secured bail.

The six applicants — Danish Saifi, Noor Islam, Amir Kaifi, Mahfooz Alam, Mohammad Alam and Mohammad Avval — had been in jail since 17 March.

In the affidavit reproduced in part by the court, the applicants stated that they sincerely respected Mother Ganga and the Hindu faith and sought forgiveness from those whose sentiments may have been hurt.

“The applicant sincerely respects Mother Ganga and the Hindu religion from the heart. The applicant is deeply hurt by the incident mentioned in the above case and with folded hands seeks forgiveness from the entire Hindu community, as well as followers of all other religions for whom Mother Ganga is a centre of faith,” the affidavit said.

The applicants further assured the court and followers of the Hindu faith that they would not participate in any such activity in future and would continue to respect the Ganga throughout their lives.

The court observed that the contents of the affidavit, along with submissions made on behalf of the applicants, demonstrated “genuine remorse for the action attributed to the applicants”.

The case stems from an iftar gathering organised on a boat in the Ganga during Ramzan. A complaint was lodged by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) district president Rajat Jaiswal, who alleged that the event had hurt religious sentiments and claimed that leftover chicken biryani had been thrown into the river.

Subsequent scrutiny of videos linked to the gathering reportedly did not reveal evidence of food waste being dumped into the Ganga, though the allegations remain under investigation.

Opposing the bail plea, Additional Advocate General Anoop Trivedi submitted that investigators were examining who financed the gathering and who facilitated circulation of videos related to the event.

While granting bail, the High Court also took into account the applicants' period of detention and the absence of criminal antecedents.

The allegations in the case are yet to be tested during trial and no findings on guilt have been recorded by the court.