A group of progressive Bangladeshi NGOs in association with some Indian representatives and local district administration officials organised a candlelight vigil to mark the eighth anniversary of the landmark event of the exchange of enclaves between India and Bangladesh.
Uddipan and North Bengal Museum were among the NGOs present along with district officials from Rangpur and Kurigram at the event that was held on Monday and saw people from all walks of life gathering in the 111 enclaves which are now in Bangladesh. The Land Boundary Agreement of 2015 resolved a long pending issue of enclaves in adverse possession of India and Bangladesh.
Under the deal, signed in Dhaka in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, the two countries swapped these tiny enclaves dotted around the border. Their inhabitants have been deprived of public services and living in squalid conditions.
