Indo-Bangla border set to open today after first election-day shutdown

Bongaon: Petrapole wore an unfamiliar look on Thursday morning. The usually busy Indo-Bangla land border — a corridor that hums daily with the rumble of buses, the clang of truck gates and the chatter of travellers — lay deserted on the day of the landmark general election in Bangladesh that can redefine its political future after months of upheaval since Gen Z protests ousted former PM Sheikh Hasina in Aug 2024.On Thursday, shuttered shops lined the approach road. Forex counters, photocopy centres, eateries and stationery stores were locked. Even the stray dogs seemed to wander in confusion across the empty stretches. Bangladesh suspended the movement of passport-holding travellers across the Benapole-Petrapole border from 6 am on Thursday until 6 am on Friday to ensure its general election was conducted "smoothly". While the official order took effect on Thursday morning, sources said the gates were closed since Wednesday night.
The route, operational since 1947, has weathered wars, political upheavals and multiple elections. But never, locals and officials said, did a general election trigger a complete halt in passenger movement. "No election since 1972 ever led to a total shutdown like this," a source pointed out. BSF officials said only emergency medical cases were allowed through on Thursday.On the Indian side, empty passenger buses stood stranded along the roadside, their engines cold. Trucks laden with goods waited in long, silent rows, with drivers resigned to uncertainty. Rony Halder, driver of an Agartala–Dhaka bus via Kolkata, recounted a disrupted journey. "We started from Agartala on Wednesday. We were scheduled to enter Bangladesh by evening but were delayed en route. By the time we reached Petrapole, the border was closed," he said. "Passengers were asked to get down and cross on foot, then arrange separate transport from the Benapole side." At least six such buses were found parked near the border.The economic ripple was immediate. "It feels like the Covid days," said Sisir Kumar Das, who runs a stationery shop near the border. "Business has been down since the fall of the Hasina govt. But we never saw a situation like this. We just hope things improve next week when a new govt takes charge in Bangladesh."A tour operator who also runs a forex counter echoed the anxiety. "There was little business since the start of the week. Today, I only came to offer puja to the goddess in my office. I prayed for a stable govt in Bangladesh," said Tapan Sarkar. Swapan Kumar Ghosh, owner of a restaurant near the border, clarified there was no official instruction to shut businesses. "But with the border closed and no customers around, there is no point keeping the shop open," he said. Security presence, however, was visibly heightened. There was increased surveillance and patrolling along both fenced and unfenced stretches from Bagda to Bongaon and Swarupnagar. Enclave and exclave residents were advised to remain indoors, while armed personnel monitored both land and riverine border points.