The local police in Varanasi have been put on alert to keep an eye out on any foreign tourists stranded in the city facing difficulties following a matter widely circulated on social media.
On May 10, a Russian national named Stephan Christanov posted on social media that he,with tourists from other nationalities, are at the Modern Vision Guest House, where he was being forcibly prevented from going out to get essential supplies, including medicines, since the start of the lockdown.
In a detailed post, accompanied by a video, Christanov wrote, “The atmosphere in the (guest) house was very nervous. The behaviour of the hotel manager was absolutely not humane from the beginning of the lockdown. When it was not yet known about the extension of quarantine, we were denied requests for food for several days. When I asked for food, the hotel manager replied: "your hunger is your problem: we managed to make supplies, but you did not have time -- decide for yourself what to do." But then, over time, they began to bring us food from the market, at very high prices, and sell water. Sometimes it took several days to wait for the ordered food”.
The video that Christanov posted showed him going down a flight of stairs and being pulled back by his arm by a white-haired male, who is later joined by a younger man (and a woman) in a bid to stop him.
The elderly male in the video is Amar Nath Tiwari, the owner of the guest house. The younger man is his son Krishna who told THE WEEK, “Since the start of the lockdown this guest would say that lockdown rules were not applicable on foreign nationals and forcibly go out. He was also instigating the other tourists. I had made several calls to the local police about the matter and also submitted a written complaint to the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) on May 4. We have been running this guest house for 25 years and have never faced any issue of this kind.”
Christanov told THE WEEK in an e-mail interview that he is a sitar player who has been in India since December 2019 on "a special (non-tourist visa)…for participation in cultural events".
“Since 2007, I regularly visit India to continue studying music and yoga. Every visit to India I live in Varanasi”, he said. This was his second stay at the guest house sited on Pandey Ghat- one of the 88 in the city which is one of the country’s most visited tourist spots.
Preeti Tripathi, the Circle Officer of the Dashashwamedh Ghat told THE WEEK that she had investigated the matter on May 11 and submitted a report the following day. “The Guest House owner said that two of the foreigners were demanding weed (ganja) and thus he was forced to stop them. We have not been able to find any evidence of drug use. Of the 11 tourists in the guest house, only two had complaints against the owners. They had also alleged that the local police had caned them on an earlier occasion but we did not find evidence of this in the CCTV footage. No case had been formally registered as both the involved parties said that they only wanted the matter settled”.
While Christanov and a German tourist have since been shifted out of the guest house on their request, another boarder, from France who did not want to be identified told The Week, “The Modern Vision guesthouse was wrong…Thanks to (Chritsanov)… the customers of the Modern Vision, and some other customers we were in contact with, can now go out, half an hour every day, for essential buying”.
He added, “I respect the culture and the rules in India. India like all the countries across the world is facing a very difficult situation...(and) is trying to find the best answer to stop the virus.”
Tripathi said that since the start of the lockdown the city’s police and LIU have ensured that all guest house owners provide for foreign tourists and ensure that they are not hassled. “After this matter, we have re-issued notice to the police stations under Section 149 of the CrPC (that empowers the police to prevent cognisable offences)”, she said.
Christanov also told THE WEEK, “As soon as the opportunity arises, I will leave for Delhi and fly to Russia by emergency flight”.
