Indians need a passport to enter this village in India, it lies in India but belongs to…; Rupee is not accepted here, its name is…

During the 2015 India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), the Indian government reportedly transferred 111 enclaves to Bangladesh. However, there’s one major exclave that was deliberately excluded under the historic territorial exchange. It is a small area in West Bengal surrounded by Indian soil from all sides, but it belongs to Bangladesh and follows Bangladeshi laws.

A village inside India belongs to Bangladesh

This place, known as Dahagram-Angarpota, is a Bangladeshi enclave located inside West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district. Over 20,000 Bangladeshi citizens live in this village, which, despite being inside India, functions as part of Bangladesh. Entry in the area is tightly controlled, making it one of the most distinctive places along the India-Bangladesh border.

Which currency do people use in this Bangladeshi village?

Dahagram-Angarpota covers an area of around 18.5 square kilometres. This village is surrounded by Indian territory, but people living there use Bangladeshi currency. In fact, schools, government services, and hospitals are provided by the government of Bangladesh. According to reports, residents also use Bangladeshi mobile networks, and daily life, culture, and language are associated with Bangladesh, not India.

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Residents there once lived in isolation

Before 1992, life in this enclave was reported to be extremely difficult. Even though mainland Bangladesh was only 178 m away, there was no direct route linking the two. Residents, therefore, needed the Indian Government’s permission to move in and out of the village, and basic facilities were limited. Life there was often compared to residing in an open-air prison because the residents were isolated from the outside world.

Tin Bigha Corridor changed everything

In 1974, India and Bangladesh signed an agreement to solve the issue. Under it, India agreed to lease a strip of land known as the Tin Bigha Corridor to Bangladesh. The corridor, which is just 178 m long and 85 m wide, provides a direct link between Dahagram-Angarpota and mainland Bangladesh.

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The route initially remained open for just 12 hours every day. If someone failed to cross before the gate closed, they had to wait until the next day. In 2011, India allowed the Tin Bigha corridor to remain open the entire day.

What are the entry rules?

Ordinary Indians or tourists are not allowed to access it directly for security reasons. Entry requires special permission or a passport/document verification process.

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