Pictures of Dayashankar Singh, who is wanted for a derogatory remark about Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, have revealed that the expelled Bharatiya Janata Party leader was in Deoghar, Jharkhand, on July 24. A Lucknow court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him for likening Mayawati to a sex worker. The photographs were reportedly circulated by leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party in Jharkhand on Tuesday night, reported NDTV.

Singh has been absconding for almost a week now. His family, however, has maintained that they are clueless about his whereabouts.

On Wednesday, Mayawati reacted to the pictures – which show him posing with four other BJP leaders at the Shiva temple – saying, "Dayashankar Singh is in Jharkhand, which is ruled by BJP, clearly means he is being protected." She demanded that Singh be arrested as soon as possible.

The BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh sparked a controversy when he compared Mayawati to sex workers and accused her of selling party tickets to anyone who paid her well. BSP activists took to the streets of Lucknow and demanded his arrest. They called him an "illegitimate child" and offered a Rs 50 lakh reward on his tongue. Last week, Singh's wife threatened to lodge an FIR against BSP leaders for "traumatising" their daughter.