Border Enclaves

The Indo-Bangladesh enclaves, also known as chhitmahals (ছিটমহল chhit mohol, chitmohol) or alternatively pasha enclaveswere located around the India-Bangladesh border, in Bangladesh and in the Indian states of West Bengal and border-states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Tripura and Assam.The origin of the Indian and Bangladeshi enclaves can be traced to the 18^th century as they evolvedout of war and peace treaties between rulers in Bengal and Cooch Behar. In ancient India, north Bengal proved a strategic location as a gateway to rest of the Bengal, and a frontier zone between Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhist kingdoms.  In post-independence period, the decision to exchange enclaves was taken through a “Land Boundary Agreement” signed by Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman in 1974.A joint 2010 census of the two countriesfound approximately 37,334 residing in Indian enclaves within Bangladesh and around 14,215 in Bangladeshi enclaves situated within India. Territorially it was a complicated geo-math as there were counter enclaves and even an Indian counter-counterenclave thus leading to confusion in governance and resultant neglect of those citizens. As the enclave residents existed virtually as stateless persons, they needed visas to cross the host country to reach mainland.On August 1, 2015, India and Bangladesh formally exchanged 162 enclaves (except Dahgram-Angarpota that remained in Bangladesh) thus ending a centuries-old territorial anomaly and completing a process of land and population exchange that began in the 1950s.