'Hookah' boat party on Ganga: 8 booked for 'hurting religious sentiments'

Eight people who had a hookah party aboard a boat near ‘Sangam’ – the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers – a holy site visited by thousands every day, were booked by the police in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. The accused have been charged for hurting religious sentiments and defiling a place of worship.

The police came to know about it after a video that showed the “hookah party”, where chicken was being cooked, went viral.

According to a statement issued by the city police, a case has been filed against two accused, who have been named, and six unidentified people. However, the police have not disclosed the names of the accused as yet.

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A 30-second video that went viral three days ago showed a man in a white shirt puffing away on a hookah on a boat. The camera then pans to the kebabs being grilled on the boat. He is seated amid other men who are in a party mood. The camera pans again to show other boats in the vicinity.

The Prayagraj police have said that they will arrest the accused soon and strict legal action will be taken against them. The Prayagraj police chief Shailesh Pandey had told the media that the video appears to show both a hookah and non-vegetarian food and promised to take “strict action”.