On India-Bangladesh Border, A Strip Of Land Where Laws Of Both Apply
NDTV
The Teen Bigha Corridor sees Bangladesh citizens entering Indian soil and then returning to their country without a visa or passport.
On the border between India and Bangladesh, a country which is slowly emerging from a period of violence and turmoil, lies a narrow, unique strip of land where people can move freely without passports and visas, and where the laws of both countries apply.
The Teen Bigha Corridor, in West Bengal's Cooch Behar, was supposed to be handed over to Bangladesh in 1974. As part of a treaty between then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Bangladeshi counterpart Mujibur Rahman, India was to hand over sovereignty of the Teen Bigha Corridor to Bangladesh and get South Berubari in return. This was intended to facilitate Bangladesh's access to the Dahargram-Angarpota enclaves and, for India, to the enclaves near South Berubari.
While Bangladesh held up its end of the deal, India couldn't do so because a constitutional amendment would be required. A compromise was found in 1992 and the Teen Bigha Corridor was leased to Bangladesh.
