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Citizens of Twelve Hours

They are Indian citizens. But their citizenship is limited to twelve

hours only. They lose their citizenship for the twelve hours of thenight. Thousands of Indian citizens living in Indian soil have been

deprived of their citizenship for twelve hours daily for decades.

The victims are residents of villages situated in the fringe area of 

about four thousand kilo metres long India-Bangladesh

International Boundary Lines. There are more than 170 villages

along the Indo- Bangla Boundary line right from Kolkata to

Tripura. These villages could not be covered by the barbed-wire-

fencing erected in the boundary line for technical reasons. Thevillages have been abandoned. So are the villagers. Everyday when

clock strikes six the gates of the barbed wire fence got closed. The

State of India abandons its own citizens living outside the fence for 

the rest of the time till the clock again strikes six in the morning.

The gates of Indian State remain open for its citizens for just

twelve hour of daytime.

After partition in 1947 there were unresolved boundary disputes between India and Pakistan. After the birth of Bangladesh in 1971

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India and President Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh apparently resolved the disputes

entering into a pact according to which there would remain one

hundred metres of land between the border line of the two

countries as 'No men's land' where no state would have any

control. Following the pact no plan has been formulated or 

implemented for rehabilitation of the citizens who have been living

in this abandoned NO MEN'S LAND. They too have been

abandoned and ignored callously.

After the doors are closed at 6pm everyday darkness engulfs these

villages as well as the minds of the villagers. They leave heir lives

and property at the mercy of the thieves, dacoits, goons and other 

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anti-social elements who regularly visit them, mostly from

Bangladesh. No state provides them with any semblance of 

security of life and property. If anybody needs immediate medical

attention in night there is no way other than to wait for the gates to

open. If his condition does not permit to wait he has do succumb todeath. For marriages and other social functions the villagers have

to take prior permission from the concerned District Magistrate so

the gates would open for the visitors to come back.

Veteran journalist Mrinal Talukdar of UNI made a short film of 20

minutes on the plight of such 'NO BODY'S MEN'. He shot this

film at Lafsai and Jarapata, two such villages situated at Sutarkandi

area of Indo-Bangla border in Karimganj district of Assam. He had

to obtain clearance from Union Home Ministry for shooting thereafter an eight-and-half- month-long period. The film 'NO BODY'S

MEN' has been included in the list of 13 movies selected for 

special viewing in he International Film Festival to be held from 4

to 9 February, 2008 in Mumbai. Mr. Talukdar has done a great job.

Barak Human Rights Protection Committee is contemplating to

send a fact finding team to Sutarkandi. The Committee will act on

the recommendations of the team to get full-time citizenship for the part time citizens.