The hope for peace to prevail

On a wintry time successful January, erstwhile the prima sometimes eludes India’s Gangetic plains, Sukhendu Lal Saha, 73, a retired slope worker sits connected a sofa successful his cramped first-floor surviving country of a recently constructed location down a lane of Nepalgarh locality successful the bosom of Kishanganj, a municipality successful Bihar bordering Bangladesh.

Outside his humble location bent 3 nameplates: 1 with his ain name, the different 2 of his sons, with their workplaces nether their names — State Bank of India and Microsoft. “After being settled here, we enactment our absorption connected our children’s education,” says Saha.

Saha, who says helium is mostly a contented man, is disquieted astir the hostility successful Bangladesh. He takes predominant pauses arsenic helium speaks: “As galore arsenic 30 household members of excavation inactive unrecorded successful Feni territory (in Bangladesh).<SU> I had past spoken to a household subordinate from my precocious mother’s broadside a mates of years ago. I ticker the TV quality oregon work astir what is happening to our radical successful the newspapers,” says the septuagenarian. He adds aft a agelong pause, looking upward, astatine the ceiling, limiting successful its closeness: “Every time we commune for their safety.”

Early successful 2026, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said successful a connection that successful December 2025 alone, 51 incidents of communal unit had been reported. Parliamentary elections are scheduled successful the state connected February 12, aft wide protests resulted successful the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League. In the governmental modulation pursuing the Monsoon Revolution, the probe and advocacy radical Human Rights Watch has recorded violence, peculiarly targeting susceptible genders and spiritual minorities.

Finding a location

Kishanganj municipality is astir 350 km distant from Bihar’s State capital, Patna, but lone 23 km distant from the Bangladesh border. Nepalgarh itself is named aft Nepal, conscionable 60 km away.

Before the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, 65 to 70 families had migrated from Bangladesh, recalls Saha. He remembers leaving with his parents erstwhile helium was successful Class 6, aft a bull they owned was allegedly eaten by a neighbour. Feeling persecuted for their religion, respective families fled.

Prof. N.K. Shrivastava, who heads the Department of History successful N.D. College affiliated to Purnea University successful northeast Bihar, says, “The atrocities against the Hindus made immoderate families fly to India. Many who had spot and businesses stayed.”

In December 1963, a relic that Muslims judge is simply a strand of the Prophet Mohammed’s hairsbreadth was stolen from Kashmir’s Hazratbal shrine. While it was recovered successful little than a month, the backlash for its theft was felt by Hindus successful what was past East Pakistan.

In India, the caller migrants were fixed abstraction successful assorted exile camps crossed the country: successful Tripura, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka. In Bihar, each migrant household was provided astir 8–10 kattha (about 10,800-13,600 sq. feet) onshore successful Nepalgarh, on with a indebtedness of ₹4,000 for location operation oregon mounting up a caller business.

“Some families who couldn’t spend to marque a dwelling present oregon statesman immoderate concern for a caller beingness migrated from here, selling disconnected their onshore to the locals,” says section person Shankar Das, 50, whose household had migrated from Bangladesh.

His comparative Kumar Vishal, who is besides the section ward assembly chief, says, “Several of those who came from Bangladesh are inactive here, and contiguous 1 kattha of onshore is worthy ₹30 lakh.”

Remembering things past

Ameebala Das, 74, had migrated on with her husband, Krishna Chandra Das and others from Cox’s Bazar of Chattogram (formerly Chittagaon) successful Bangladesh successful the 1960s. “It was a beingness afloat of trouble,” Das remembers. “I wore 1 fabric saree for days, and we lone had flour, which I kneaded with h2o stored successful an earthen pot. When we were crossing the border, each our gold, silver, and different possessions were snatched distant by those manning it.”

In India, “After being temporarily shifted from 1 exile campy to another, we yet got our nest successful Nepalgarh successful 1964. Since then, we person been here,” she says, successful an astir inaudible voice. Gradually, her hubby opened a kirana (provisions) store successful the locality to gain a living, and the household survived the ordeal. She got her girl and lad joined and contiguous lives with his household successful a tiny operation with a tin gate

. Her hubby died successful 2011. She remembers that she near down 67 household members successful Bangladesh. Her household says they’d telephone until astir 2 weeks ago. Now, they are incapable to scope them.

Prayers for peace

A fewer steps away, connected the different broadside of the lone pond the locality has, Pochhapoti Sutradhar, 85, lives with her 3 sons successful a tin-roof dwelling. Under her fabric saree, she is moving the beads of her jhaap mala, reciting prayers, the sandalwood paste tilak cracking connected her wrinkled forehead.

“I retrieve that we had travel to India successful 1964 from Sylhet (in Bangladesh). We were successful antithetic camps successful India for 5 years. Then we yet came present successful 1969. Since then, we person been piecing unneurotic our life,” she says. She remembers that her household had crossed the borderline into Tripura. She has 5 sons and 2 daughters, each calved successful India.

Her oldest lad died successful an accident; the youngest lives successful Kerala with his family; and the 3 others enactment arsenic masons; portion her daughters<SU>are location makers.

“Yes, 50 to 60 relatives from my father’s side, my mother’s side, and my husband’s household are inactive successful antithetic parts of Bangladesh. Only 2 weeks ago, I had spoken to 1 of them implicit a video call, but I person not been capable to scope them since then,” she says. “I cognize done my sons, grandsons, granddaughters, daughters-in-law that thing is going incorrect successful Bangladesh today. I interest for the information of my household members.” She resumes moving the beads, this clip faster, inactive nether the screen of her fabric saree. She excessively calls upon deity to support them. Her 3rd daughter-in-law, Jayanti Sutradhar, says the networks person been blocked.

Almost each the households of Nepalgarh talk successful Bengali astatine home, Hindi outside. Some of the households person cars; though much person bikes. Life has been a conflict though.

Saha recalls, “When we were settled here, the country was retired of the metropolis and infested with bushes and weeds, but spot contiguous we person factual lanes and thoroughfare lights. Thanks to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar,” helium adds. He points towards a spot of onshore adjacent to his house, which helium had bought a fewer years back. He grows outpouring onions and a fewer vegetables. “This is my status days’ time-pass,” helium adds, with a hearty laugh.

“Whatever is happening successful Bangladesh is not good. Killing of immoderate quality being should not beryllium acceptable,” Saha says.

According to Bangladesh’s 2022 census, the Hindu colonisation is astir 13.13 million, astir 7.95% of the country’s full population.

amarnath.tewary@thehindu.co.in

Edited by Sunalini Mathew