40 couples are dragged out of hotels by Mumbai police for being unmarried

There has been outrage in India following the arrest of dozens of couples at a number of Mumbai hotels last week - because they were unmarried.

More than 40 couples were dragged out of their hotel rooms and taken to a nearby police station where they were held for several hours and some were even made to call their parents.

Witnesses say police knocked on the doors to the hotel rooms during the Thursday afternoon raid, and arrested all couples found to be unmarried.

Despite being in private hotel rooms, the couples were charged with 'indecent behaviour in public' and made to pay a fine of 1,200 rupees (£12).

The police first insulted all of us in front of all the officers and the other couples and then forced us to call our parents and insulted and disgraced us in front of them,' a witness told Mid-Day.com'.They also made the parents feel guilty as if their children had committed some heinous crime.'

 He added that they were taken to the police station around 5pm and many of them were allowed to go only by 10pm.'

A number of angry Mumbai citizens took to Twitter to express their feelings, using the hashtag #MumbaiPolice