Lucknow: A railway section engineer has been arrested on the charge of assaulting a 47-year-old German at Robertsganj station in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday afternoon.

Aman Kumar Yadav, 50, claims that Holgar Ereek was drunk and spat on his face when he casually asked him the purpose of his India visit during a conversation, railway police sources said.

"Yadav says he got angry and slapped the German once, after which the German thrashed him," an officer said. He said both men's cheeks showed bruises. "They gave written complaints against each other. The engineer has been arrested," additional director-general of police (law and order) Anand Kumar said.

Officers said Ereek had claimed to be an independent researcher and author who was camping in Sonbhadra and visiting Chopan every day by train to study the architecture of the 18th-century Fort of Agori. The area is about 400km southeast of Lucknow.

They said Ereek had denied spitting on Yadav and accused the engineer of misbehaving with him and then attacking him. "But Ereek seems aggressive. He shouted at railway police too when they asked him about the incident," said an officer.

On October 22, a Swiss couple had been severely assaulted in Fatehpur Sikri, Agra.