Varanasi (UP) | Five persons arrested for allegedly consuming liquor and holding a non-vegetarian party on a boat in the Ganga river in Varanasi were granted bail, their counsel said.

Advocate Vikas Singh said the accused were released by the court of the executive magistrate/assistant commissioner of police after furnishing two sureties of Rs 20,000 each along with personal bonds.

The accused were identified as Deepak Kumar of Sujabad Padav in Ramnagar, boatman Ajay Sahni, Arun Kumar Sahni of Domri in Ramnagar, Anurag Nishad and Rahul Sahni of Bandha Road in Sujabad, Ramnagar.

The case came to light after a video allegedly showing the five men consuming beer and holding a non-vegetarian party on a boat in the river went viral on social media on Monday.

Following an investigation, the police identified the individuals involved, arrested them and seized the boat.

The five accused, aged between 25 and 32 years, were arrested on June 23, Dasasvamedh ACP Atul Anjan Tripathi said.

Earlier this year, a similar controversy had surfaced when a video showing people eating biryani on a boat in the Ganga river went viral on social media on March 16. The Kotwali police had arrested 14 Muslim youths the following day in connection with that incident. The accused in that case were later granted bail by the Allahabad High Court.