Two men have been arrested in connection with the assault on a plywood trader for allegedly giving a repair contract to a person without informing or seeking permission from a local Trinamul Congress leader.
The two arrested are Bivas Das and Uttam Das, police said.
Arindam Saha, 44, a resident of New Town, has been running his plywood store on Beleghata Main Road for many years, he said.
“The tin shed of my shop got damaged during the rain recently. I engaged a contractor for repairs and work started on Monday. When I reached my shop... a few men came and forcefully took me to the office of local TMC leader Raju Naskar,” Saha said on Tuesday from the hospital where he is admitted.
Saha alleged that he was slapped, abused and dragged into a flat in a nearby building where he was stripped. He said he was forced to pose for a photograph holding a gun.
“My fault was that I did not seek permission from Naskar before engaging men for my shop’s repair work,” he said.
Naskar is missing, cops said.
Local Trinamul MLA Paresh Paul told The Telegraph: “He (Naskar) is still there. Please go and ask him.” He disconnected the call before he could be asked to clarify his statement.
Local Trinamul councillor Alokananda Das’s phone was switched off around 9.30pm on Tuesday. This newspaper did not receive a response to a text message sent to her.