Samajwadi Party legislator Mahendra Singh (in white) and others cover their faces after arrest
A wild party in Goa turned out to be a costly mistake for Samajwadi Party legislator Mahendra Kumar Singh, who was arrested late last night along with five others under the Anti-Prostitution law.
Singh, the MLA of Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh, is the son-in-law of Bhagwati Singh, who is said to be very close to Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The 55-year-old lawmaker was arrested from an illegal dance bar in Panjim. The police say he and the other accused had brought girls along on their trip to Goa, and even stayed with them at a hotel.
The police had raided the dance bar at around 1:30 am after complaints of loud music and dancing women. Six alleged sex-workers, reportedly from Punjab, Delhi, Mumbai, UP and Chhatisgarh, were also at the party.
The police discovered much later that Singh was a lawmaker of UP's ruling party. "We found out during the interrogation and confirmed it with the UP government," Deputy Superintendent of Police Mahesh Gaonkar.
The Goa police have reportedly informed the UP assembly Speaker about Singh's arrest, as required by law.
The raid comes more than a week after Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar announced in his Independence Day address that his government was against dance bars.