Kolkata: Bangladeshi nationals abducted an Indian small tea grower from near the border in Jalpaiguri on Saturday, apparently in retaliation for the BSF’s arrest of a Bangladeshi intruder two days earlier.At least 15 Bangladeshi nationals crossed into Indian territory in the Tasarpara area under Kukurjan gram panchayat in Rajganj block and dragged Dipankar Gope into Bangladesh while he was tending his tea garden, located within 150 yards of the border fence and under the jurisdiction of the BSF’s Chaulhati outpost.Videos surfaced on social media showing Bangladeshi residents stating that Gope would remain captive until India releases Tamiz Uddin, the Bangladeshi intruder arrested by BSF on Thursday. BGB personnel were seen standing alongside the villagers making the threat.BSF held a flag meeting with the BGB on Saturday evening but failed to secure Gope’s release. It remains in regular contact with its Bangladeshi counterpart.Rajganj MLA Dinesh Sarkar said the abduction was likely retaliatory but that this remained unconfirmed. Minister of state for transport Ananda Barman said the state govt was coordinating with BSF and was hopeful Gope would be returned soon.Bijaygopal Chakraborty, president of the Jalpaiguri District Small Tea Growers’ Association, demanded enhanced security for farmers working near the border. “Who is responsible for the safety of farmers if they cannot work securely on their own land within Indian territory?” he asked.Bangladeshi media, citing United News of Bangladesh, offered a different account — reporting that border residents in Panchagarh detained an Indian national in retaliation for the alleged abduction of a 78-year-old Bangladeshi man by BSF personnel.Local accounts in Bangladesh said Gope was detained after entering a sugarcane field on the Bangladeshi side near Sub-Pillar No. 12 of Main Pillar No. 742 in Satmara Union.Residents alleged that Tamiz Uddin was a Bangladeshi farmer who had gone to the border area on Wednesday to look for a missing cow when he was allegedly picked up by BSF personnel from the Chaulhati camp.
