Daman: Local BJP leader Navin Patel, accused of assaulting a woman councillor, was suspended on Thursday from the party. The accused, who had been arrested on Wednesday in connection with the case, was suspended from the party by BJP chief of Union Territory of Daman and Diu Vasubhai Patel today, a press release said.

Vasubhai distanced the party from the alleged brawl between Navin and the woman councillor in Daman municipality Simple Tandel. I have been seeing the news about the brawl between Navin Patel and Simple Tandel since last two days. I want to clarify that it was their personal matter. BJP has nothing to do with it, the statement said.

However, it is a matter of indiscipline to behave with a woman in such a manner. Therefore, the party has decided to suspend Navin Patel from the party with immediate effect, it added. Navin, who is in-charge of BJP's membership drive in the Union Territory, allegedly assaulted Tandel at a hotel, where both of them along with many other local BJP leaders had come to attend a party programme.

The CCTV footage, which went viral, showed that Navin first entered into verbal spat with Tandel at the hotel lobby and then pushed her on the floor. Navin was arrested by police, but was later released on bail.

PTI