lYade at Hili land port in Dinajpur district remained suspended for over an hour yesterday as hundreds of Indians staged demonstration in the zero line area there demanding release of an Indian national arrested by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Wednesday noon.

A BGB team picked up Md Atiar Rahman, son of Hazrat Mondal of Purbo Abtoir Hili village of Pashchimbanga, from Shatkania village of Hakimpur upazila in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh on Wednesday noon when he was having tea at a roadside tea stall, said BGB sources.

BGB of Joypurhat-3 Battalion filed a case with Joypurhat police station the same day on charge of intrusion and drug trade in Bangladesh territory, they said.

The Indian protesters gathered in Hili land port area in Dakkhin Dinajpur of

Pashchimbanga ofyesterday noon. They halted the trade, staged demonstration and chanted slogans against the arrest.

At a rally, the agitators threatened to enforce harhal at the land port if Atiar is not freed immediately, said the officer in charge (Immigration) of Hili in Dakkhin Dinajpur.

They also threatened to harass Bangladeshi travellers in Indian territory if their demand is not met.

At around 2:40pm, Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and police removed the agitators and restored the cross-border trade.

Meanwhile, BSF gave proposal for talks to BGB but the latter declined, BGB sources said.

According to the records of Hili land port immigration offices in Dinajpur of Bangladesh and Dakkhin Dinajpur of Pashchimbanga, Atiar Rahman entered Bangladesh on August 31

with Indian passport (No E721304, issue date August 1, 2011) and his visa for Bangladesh issued on August 29 has 60-day validity.

He was to visit Monirul Islam, C/O Nasir Uddin, Daudpur village of Nawabganj upazila in Dinajpur, says the entry record at the land port immigration.

Paritosh Kumar, officer-in-charge of Joypurhat police station confirmed that a case was filed against Atiar Rahman with the police station.

When contacted, Col Shawkat Alam, sector commander of BGB in Dinajpur, said, "Atiar is a godfather of drug peddlers of the two neighbouring countries. BGB members detected some errors in this passport."

On the other hand, PK Mondal, OC (Immigration) at Hili in Dakkhin Dinajpur, claimed that Atiar's passport was okay.