Prisoners of the past

At the stroke of midnight on July 31, 2015, 51 enclaves in Bangladesh were celebrating becoming a part of India. After decades of stateless existence, their inhabitants finally had a homeland. The landmark Land Boundary Agreement signed in 1974 had finally come into force, and 162 pockets of land that existed as enclaves in Indian and Bangladeshi territories were merged with the countries that surrounded them. To mark the day, they sang the national anthem, distributed sweets, the festivities lasting for days. Voter ID cards, Aadhaar cards and some ration cards were promptly distributed since the state assembly election was around the corner. The new Indian citizens looked forward to a future filled with hope and possibilities.

Almost four years later, they are still fighting for proper documentation, land allotment, infrastructure and access to sanitation and benefits from various government schemes, such as the Kanyashree Prakalpa, incentivising a child's higher secondary education, or Yuvashree, to provide financial assistance