Bhagalpur: The RJD and Congress district units on Wednesday held a day-long protest here to mount pressure on the local administration for the immediate arrest of Arjit Shashwat, local BJP leader and elder son of Ashwini Choubey, the Union minister for health and family welfare.

The local BJP unit, on the other hand, has threatened a mass movement if the FIR against Shashwat and other BJP workers - for organising a bike rally without permission and indulging in group clash on the streets of Nathnagar on March 17 evening - is not quashed within the next 48 hours.

Shashwat, who contested the Bhagalpur town seat in the last Assembly polls on a BJP ticket, has been made named accused along with 21 BJP activists and 500 unknown persons in the FIR lodged with the Nathnagar police station, around 230km east of Patna.

"The Union minister and his son have been creating disturbances in Bhagalpur and we immediate demand the arrest of his son Shashwat and other persons named as accused in the FIR," Ajit Kumar Sharma, Congress MLA from Bhagalpur town seat, said from Patna.

Congress and RJD workers on Wednesday staged a day-long dharnaoutside the collectorate here to press for the arrest of Shashwat and the other accused.

"After Ram Navami we will intensify our movement and our leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav will come here if police fail to arrest Shashwat and other accused persons," said Tirupati Nath Yadav, district president of the RJD.

Bhagalpur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manoj Kumar said: "Shashwat and other BJP leaders whose names are included in the FIR are absconding. We are monitoring the case very closely and no one would found guilty in the case will be spared."

Asked, he denied there was any pressure on the police from the ruling BJP.

Union minister Choubey told The Telegraph over phone that the March 17 incident was failure of the local administration as the police remained mute spectators when antisocial elements attacked his son's procession. "The participants were well disciplined and raising patriotic slogans when they were attacked by the hooligans," he alleged.

Rohit Pandey, the BJP district president, alleged the district administration was framing BJP workers just to avoid responsibility on law and order.

"The officials are misguiding state government just to hide ineptitude," Rohit said. "If the FIR is not withdrawn and our members are unnecessary harassed, we will hit the streets."