Overview
- Police arrested Arjun Rajbhar on Tuesday after viral clips showed drinking and loud DJ music on boats on the Ganga in Varanasi.
- Investigators say the footage came from the Manjhi boatmen’s annual procession from Sheetla Ghat to the Sheetla Mata Temple in Mirzapur.
- A complaint reached Bhelupur police station and a case was filed, and officers say teams are working to identify others seen in the videos.
- Local rules bar parties and DJ setups on the river for safety and environmental reasons, and the videos have renewed scrutiny of river policing.
- The arrest follows an earlier case in which 14 people were held over an iftar biryani gathering on a boat, and politicians such as Akhilesh Yadav weighed in as civic groups pressed for action without blaming the wider boatmen community.