Balurghat, April 25: CPM supporters gheraoed the Hili police station this morning demanding the release of a man arrested last night, allegedly for trying to smuggle rice into Bangladesh.

Police said the arrested man, Dulu Mondol, is the brother of CPM gram panchayat member Ratan Mandal.

In the afternoon, a large force was sent from here to Hili, 26km away. The police used their batons to disperse the protesters and lift the siege on the police station.

Additional police superintendent Imran Wahab said the protesters were preventing the police from taking the arrested man to the court in Balurghat.

Dulu was later produced in court.

Police sources said on Wednesday, BSF jawans had followed a tip-off and seized 2,500 kilos of rice from a vehicle in West Abtair. Later, a group of West Abtair residents, led by Dulu, beat up the suspected informants. Dulu was arrested on the basis of the complaint lodged by the assaulted men.

CPM zonal committee secretary Kanchan Munshi said Dulu was falsely implicated.