Enclave people on hunger strike

People of 111 enclaves inside Bangladesh territory went on an indefinite hunger strike in Panchagarh yesterday, demanding implementation of the Indira-Mujib pact of 1974.Photo: STAR

Enclave people went on an indefinite hunger strike in Boda upazila of Panchagarh district yesterday to press home their three-point demand including immediate implementation of India-Bangladesh land boundary agreement of 1974, popularly known as Indira-Mujib Pact.
They also demanded a definite timeframe to implement the enclave exchange deal.
People from all 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh took part in the strike hold beside Dhaka-Panchagarh Highway near Puthimari Indian enclave.
Leaders of India-Bangladesh Enclave Exchange Coordination Committee called the programme at a press conference in the district town on Saturday afternoon. Enclave leader Sirajul Islam read out a written statement.
The leaders said they were frustrated as no timeframe was mentioned yet in the deal, signed during Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh in September last year.
They also said that the enclave people are living in awful conditions amid lack of adequate employment opportunity, infrastructure, educational institutions, electricity and medical facilities.
They urged both the governments to implement the deal as soon as possible considering the enclave people's miserable life without citizens' rights.
Chairman of Puthimari Indian enclave Toslimuddin, chairman of Garati Indian enclave Mofizer Rahaman and chairman of Kajoldighi Indian enclave, were present at the conference.
According to a recently conducted joint survey of the two countries, Bangladesh has 51 enclaves comprising around 3,000 acres of adversely possessed lands inside India while India has 111 enclaves comprising 3,500 acres of such land inside Bangladesh.
Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh are situated in Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Nilphamari districts while all of the Bangladeshi enclaves are in Indian Cooch Behar district.