Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): Kaushal Raj Sharma, District Magistrate, Varanasi, has said that action will be taken against boatmen who did not follow the administration's guidelines and allowed tourists on their boats to feed the birds amid the bird flu.
Eyebrows were raised after Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan shared a social media post in which the player can be seen feeding birds during a boat ride in Varanasi. "Happiness is feeding birds," Dhawan had written on Instagram while sharing pictures.
However, Sharma said action will only be taken against the boatmen, not the tourists.
"There was some information that some boatmen are not adhering to the administration's instructions and the tourists on their boats are feeding the birds. So, these boatmen are being identified and tourists generally are not aware of such things," Sharma told ANI.
"However, it was made clear by the police and the administration to the boatmen that they should not allow the tourists on their boat to feed the birds. Whosoever flouted these rules will be served notice and they will be asked as to why their license should not be canceled... No action will be taken against the tourists," he added.