Amid rising violence in Bangladesh, Indian migrants in Bihar's Kishanganj are deeply concerned for their families' safety. They pray for peace to prevail as they share memories of their own migration decades ago. The border town, just 23 km from Bangladesh, feels the tension acutely.
In Kishanganj, a small town in Bihar just 23 km from the Bangladesh border, migrants in the Nepalgarh locality are gripped by worry. Sukhendu Lal Saha, a 73-year-old retired bank employee, pauses frequently as he speaks: "As many as 30 family members of mine still live in Feni district. Every day we pray for their safety." He last spoke to relatives two years ago and follows events through TV news.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported 51 incidents of communal violence in December 2025 alone. Parliamentary elections are set for February 12, 2026, following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina amid the Monsoon Revolution. Human Rights Watch has documented violence targeting religious minorities and vulnerable groups.
Before the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, 65 to 70 families fled Bangladesh due to religious persecution, recalls Saha. He left in Class 6 after an incident involving a neighbor. Prof. N.K. Shrivastava, head of History at N.D. College, notes: "The atrocities against the Hindus made some families flee to India." The 1963 theft of a relic from Kashmir's Hazratbal shrine triggered backlash against Hindus in East Pakistan.
Migrants received 8–10 kattha of land (about 10,800-13,600 sq. feet) in refugee camps and a ₹4,000 loan for housing or business. Ameebala Das, 74, who migrated from Cox’s Bazar in the 1960s, remembers: "It was a life full of trouble... When we were crossing the border, all our gold, silver, and other possessions were snatched away." She left 67 family members behind and settled in Nepalgarh in 1964; contact has been lost for two weeks.
Pochhapoti Sutradhar, 85, fled Sylhet in 1964 and settled in 1969 after years in camps. "50 to 60 relatives... are still in different parts of Bangladesh," she says, unable to reach them as networks are blocked. Her daughter-in-law Jayanti adds that something is "going wrong" there.
Bangladesh's 2022 census shows 13.13 million Hindus, 7.95% of the population. Despite struggles, locals like Saha appreciate improvements under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He laments: "Whatever is happening in Bangladesh is not good. Killing of any human being should not be acceptable."
