Ex-BJP MLA among 17 held for vandalism over Valentine's Day

Seventeen persons, including aformer BJP MLA, were arrested for allegedly indulging invandalism in two separate incidents in the city on Sunday overthe Valentine's Day, police said.

While one group vandalised a hookah lounge, anotherdamaged a restaurant, they said.

A group of people with saffron towels wrapped aroundtheir necks, vandalised a hookah lounge located under ShyamlaHills police station limits. They raised slogans of 'JaiShriram' during the act, a police official said.

Talking to reporters, former BJP MLA Surendra NathSingh said that hookah lounges were making the youths addictsand they have become ''breeding grounds of Love Jihad''.

Shyamala Hills police station in-charge inspectorTarun Bhati said, ''We arrested Surendra Nath Singh and sixothers for rioting and other charges in connection with thisincident.'' They were later produced in a local court, whichremanded them in judicial custody, the official said.

In the second incident, Shiv Sena workers vandalised arestaurant located under the jurisdiction of Habibganj policestation, the region's in-charge inspector Rakesh Shrivastavasaid.

''We have arrested 10 presons for rioting and othercharges in this connection,'' he said.