Petrapole, adjacent to Bongon, the border town of North 24 Parganas, is about 80 km from Kolkata. Since the onset of the crisis in Bangladesh, all borders with the neighbouring country have been kept on high alert. Petrapole is one of the most popular border routes and has long been associated with trade and daily movement of Indians and Bangladeshis.
silence at the border
There was peace at the busy border after Sheikh Hasina resigned as Prime Minister and left the country on August 5. Petrapole is the Indian part of the Petrapole-Benapole border between India and Bangladesh, which is also the only land port in South Asia and the largest customs station in Asia.
On an average day, hundreds of trucks loaded with goods pass through this border. After the violence in Bangladesh, BSF Director General Daljit Chaudhary arrived at the border and spoke to several officers and local people living on the border. Although the situation was calm, there was still a lot of unrest in the air.
People are seen wandering around with swords on the road.
While on normal days 1,000 trucks would arrive in India from the Petrapole border, on the 6th only 10-15 trucks were seen passing through here. Only people with valid permits were allowed to enter after checking. While talking to Aaj Tak, a driver from Tamil Nadu said that he did not face any special problems while coming from Jessore.
About an hour later, when other trucks from Bangladesh arrived, a driver from Bihar said something different. The driver said he saw people with swords and sticks roaming around the road near the border. He was lucky they didn’t attack him.
I was afraid to go home
However, instead of relief, there was confusion for the Bangladeshi Hindus returning home across the border. They were scared and afraid to go to their own country, their own home. Ratan Ranjan, in his 50s, had come to India for treatment. Upon returning to Jessore, he was frightened by questions from the media. Before crossing the border he said he was scared. When asked the reason for this, he said it was because he is a Hindu.
‘The Indian government should help us’
Bangladeshi Hindu Radharani was returning from her daughter and son-in-law’s home in Barasat. She wanted the Indian government to help anyone who wanted to settle in India. The woman said: ‘In my area, an Awami League leader was hanged upside down. We Hindu minority were tortured. Hasina was a hope. The Indian government can do something and let us stay in India. Many people will come to India.’
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