A Trinamul Congress leader has been arrested at Naihati in North 24-Parganas on the charge of beating up a BJP worker and vandalising his motorbike.

Abhijit Chattopadhyay, 41, is the son of Ashok Chattopadhyay, the chairman of the Trinamul-run Naihati municipality. A court in Barrackpore on Thursday remanded Abhijit in eight days’ judicial custody.

Naihati police arrested Abhijit on the basis of a complaint lodged by Sampa Sarkar, a local BJP leader and the wife of victim Soumen Sarkar.

Sources have said Abhijit, who is also Trinamul’s youth wing leader and a close associate of irrigation minister Partha Bhowmik, was involved in a brawl with some BJP workers near Nadia Jute Mill guesthouse at Naihati around 10pm on Wednesday.

“During the altercation, Abhijit and his aides allegedly assaulted BJP worker Soumen and damaged his motorcycle. Three other BJP workers were also injured and another two-wheeler was vandalised. Abhijit suffered injuries to the left hand,” said a source.

Local BJP leaders took Soumen and other party workers to Naihati state general hospital. Soumen was later transferred to the JNM Hospital in Kalyani after his condition deteriorated.

Ashok Chattopadhyay, the Naihati civic chief, rejected the allegations against his son and claimed that some BJP supporters had attacked Abhijit when he, along with some friends, were going to attend a wedding reception in the town.

Trinamul also lodged a police complaint against Soumen and other BJP workers allegedly involved in the clash.

An officer of Naihati police said: “We have received two separate complaints on the incident. Investigations started and the involvement of all accused is being examined. So far, only one person has been arrested.”

The BJP alleged that many of its supporters had been attacked in Naihati in the past few weeks and Abhijit had played a key role in those incidents.

Speaking to the reporters prior to his arrest on Wednesday night, Abhijit said: “Some BJP workers often abuse me.... Things went beyond my control today. When I protested, they attacked me.”

A BJP leader said: “Trinamul leadership has begun to threaten our workers as panchayat elections will be held soon. The attack on Soumen is part of that.”