Three Trinamul workers have been arrested over the murder of a BJP activist here earlier this week but police said the killing was the fallout of a drunken brawl with the victim and not politically motivated, as the BJP has alleged.

The body of Supriyo Banerjee, who worked as a priest at a temple in Santipur, was recovered from a lake on Thursday, nearly three days after he went missing. “So far, no political motive has been found,” said Ranaghat police chief V.R.S. Ananthnag.

Acting on a complaint by Subrata Banerjee, the victim’s elder brother, Swapan Pramanik, Tarun Mandal and Subrata Dhara — all Trinamul workers in their twenties — were picked up from neighbouring Laxminathpur where Supriyo was a puja organiser.

“Eyewitnesses said the three accused had an altercation with the deceased, seeing him consuming alcohol while sitting inside the puja pandal in Laxminathpur late on Monday night. The three had dragged out the priest to take him home,” said Tausif Ali Azhar, additional police chief.

“But on the way, they pushed him into the waterbody where he drowned. The three have confessed to this,” Azhar added.