Masaldanga, Cooch Behar: Jubilant crowds celebrated after India and Bangladesh, at one minute past midnight on Saturday, swapped tiny islands of land, ending one of the world's most intractable border disputes that has kept thousands of people in stateless limbo for nearly 70 years.
With this land swap, India gained access to 55 Bangladeshi enclaves that house 14,000 residents.
Officials of the two nations, in formal ceremonies on Saturday, hoisted their respective national flags in 162 enclaves - 111 in Bangladesh and 51 in India - to assume sovereignty over the territories following a historic border agreement in June.
"This is the biggest celebration of my life. I can't describe how I feel today," said Parul Khatun, 35, a resident of the Indian enclave of Kot Bajni.
Maidul Islam, 18, said the handover meant "we're now human beings with full human rights."
Bangladesh endorsed a deal with India in 1974 in a bid to dissolve the pockets, but India signed the final agreement in June when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Dhaka.
The overwhelming majority of people living in Indian enclaves in Bangladesh opted for Bangladeshi citizenship.
In India, all of the Bangladeshis living in the 51 Bangladesh enclaves decided to switch nationalities.
With this land swap, India gained access to 55 Bangladeshi enclaves that house 14,000 residents.
Officials of the two nations, in formal ceremonies on Saturday, hoisted their respective national flags in 162 enclaves - 111 in Bangladesh and 51 in India - to assume sovereignty over the territories following a historic border agreement in June.
"This is the biggest celebration of my life. I can't describe how I feel today," said Parul Khatun, 35, a resident of the Indian enclave of Kot Bajni.
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Maidul Islam, 18, said the handover meant "we're now human beings with full human rights."
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Bangladesh endorsed a deal with India in 1974 in a bid to dissolve the pockets, but India signed the final agreement in June when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Dhaka.
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The overwhelming majority of people living in Indian enclaves in Bangladesh opted for Bangladeshi citizenship.
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In India, all of the Bangladeshis living in the 51 Bangladesh enclaves decided to switch nationalities.
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