A Trinamool Congress leader from Jalpaiguri was arrested on Wednesday after a woman accused him of intimidation and assault.
Abhijit Sinha, a district general secretary of the Trinamool, was produced in court on Thursday and granted bail.
A source said residents of ward 16 alleged that Sinha, his wife, Tiyas Sinha Goswami, a Trinamool councillor, and other party workers visited several homes on Wednesday, demanding explanations for the BJP's win.
Like most other seats in north Bengal, the BJP won the Jalpaiguri Assembly seat.
Jyoti Gop Singh, a resident, alleged that the group entered her house, verbally abused the family and questioned why they had supported the BJP.
“When I protested, Abhijit tried to strangle me,” Singh claimed. She later filed a written complaint at the Kotwali police station.
This is not the first time Sinha has been embroiled in a controversy. During the first phase of elections on April 23, he was accused of attempting to influence voters outside a polling booth. Ankita Chettri, a BJP leader, was allegedly assaulted when she protested.
A video showing Sinha arguing with Moumon Chakraborty, the inspector-in-charge of Kotwali police station, also went viral.
Afzal Abrar, the deputy superintendent of police (headquarters) of Jalpaiguri, said that the police received complaints of disturbances in the ward.
“Based on specific allegations, charges were framed under relevant BNS sections and the accused was produced before the court,” he said.
Sinha is a practising lawyer, and his arrest led a section of lawyers at the district court to observe a pen-down strike on Thursday.
“We protested against police excesses. There are reports that he was assaulted in custody,” said Jalpaiguri Bar Association secretary Abhijit Sarkar.
Sinha denied the charges. “There is no evidence that I threatened residents. I was arrested without a proper investigation,” he said after being released on bail.
The district party leadership distanced itself from the incident. “If anyone voluntarily gets involved in disturbances, the party will not take responsibility. However, legal assistance is being provided to him,” said Mahua Gope, the Jalpaiguri district Trinamool president.