DHAKA - A renowned Bangladeshi photographer and rights activist detained by authorities on the northern border with India has been charged with trespass, police said Thursday.

Shahidul Alam was taking photos of the Brahamaputra River when he was picked up by Indian guards on Wednesday and held for six hours before being handed over to Bangladeshi authorities.

"Indian forces arrested Alam after he went 120 yards (metres) inside the Indian border," Bangladesh border security chief Colonel Mizanur Rahman said.

"He was later handed over to Bangladesh border forces. Police have filed a case against him for trespassing."

Alam, an outspoken human rights activist who founded the Drik photo news agency and the Pathshala South Asian Institute of Photography in Dhaka, is due to appear in court on July 5.

Authorities confiscated Alam's cameras, according to his website.