A police investigation has revealed the staff of a cruise boat introduced in Ayodhya with much fanfare is deliberately trying to defame it and thus the city.
On Sunday, an application was given to the Nayaghat police station by Mohit Kalra, who described himself as a member of the Jatayu cruise boat team.
His application read that in the wee hours of Sunday, he was standing ashore near the boat. Three others were also around him. “I thought they were there to look at the boat”, Kalra wrote.
He then went to the cruise booking office on the ghat and soon after heard some noise. He ran out in the direction of the boat and saw that while one man was standing outside, two others were inside the boat. Upon being questioned by Kalra, an argument ensued. In the meanwhile, the two men from inside came out with a bag. When questioned by Kalra about what was in the bag and why they had entered the boat, a scuffle ensued. They allegedly also threatened him to dare try to run the boat on the river Sarayu.
Upon entering the boat, Kalra noticed that the engine pipe had been cut off. From the pilot’s cabin, a tablet, a calculator, compass and Rs 2,000 among other things were missing.
The Jatayu cruise boat, named after a demi-god who appears as a vulture in the Ramayan, fought valiantly with Ravan when he was taking away the abducted Sita on his chariot. He survived only to tell Ram and Lakshman about the fight and then died.
A quick police investigation into the complaint revealed that the police complaint was a deliberate attempt to malign the image of the city. CCTV footage revealed that members of the cruise boat team had been captured having an argument between 12 and 12.30 a.m. on the night that the robbery had allegedly occurred. At the time of the filing of the report, it was not clear what action, if any, would be taken against the team members.
The cruise boat, which was to be inaugurated on Friday, has received immense criticism on several grounds. It will kill the livelihood of small boat owners, the pollution caused by the diesel fumes, and danger to aquatic life among others are some of the objections raised. No one is willing to voice this as it is among the many plans announced by the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yogi Adityanath for Ayodhya.
One saint said, “From Varanasi, we have heard that people drink and smoke on the cruise boats. That is not what you do on our holy rivers. Pilgrimages are being converted to just tourism”.
For now, though, the launch of the Jatayu cruise is stalled as it failed a trial run. It went straight into a pillar.
Made in Dubai, the boat can hold about 100 people at a time. It will run from Guptar ghat (in Ayodhya cantonment) to Ayodhya city, covering a distance of 18 kilometres. The per-person fare is Rs 300.