Former Trinamul Congress MLA Sanjay Bakshi was remanded on Thursday in judicial custody till February 8 on charges of physically assaulting a woman in her early 30s.

Rejecting the bail plea moved by Bakshi’s lawyer, chief judicial magistrate (Barasat) Hargovind Singh sent the leader to Dum Dum Central jail.

Soma Kundu, who lodged a police complaint against Bakshi on Wednesday night, filed an affidavit before the court on Thursday, saying she wanted to withdraw the charges.

Singh turned down the plea. “Soma’s appeal was not granted because the evidence submitted by police was strong enough to start a case against Bakshi,” said public prosecutor Bikash Ranjan Dey.

Bakshi, who heads the Trinamul’s youth wing and has often stepped on the wrong side of the law, admitted to meeting Soma regularly at her flat in Baguiati, off VIP Road, said police.

He had allegedly promised to marry her.

Bakshi was arrested in the flat on Wednesday night after Soma called Rajarhat police station, seeking urgent help.

No prominent Trinamul leader was present on the premises of the North 24-Parganas district court when Bakshi was produced before the judge. A group of 50-odd party cadres shouted slogans, claiming that the leader was the victim of a conspiracy.

Police are confident of proving the charges against Bakshi, who was once arrested for slapping a cop. “We made a video recording of Soma’s statement. On that basis, we booked Bakshi under seven sections, including non-bailable charges like attempted murder and cheating,” said superintendent of North 24-Parganas police Praveen Kumar.

Bakshi has also been charged under Section 493 of the IPC, which pertains to false promise of marriage by a married man to a woman. “Bakshi, despite being married, had allegedly told Soma that he would marry her,” added Kumar.

Reacting to the arrest, state Trinamul president Subrata Bakshi said the former MLA was the victim of conspiracy and that efforts would be made to unearth the “plot’’.

“Somebody is conspiring to malign him and our party. We are trying to find out those involved,” he added.