Muhurir Char, Land Recorded, Possession Denied Over 100 Farmers Trapped in a 79 Year Border Dispute.

Jahangir Alam, ​Staff Reporter. ​The land record documents (Khatiyan) for their ancestral property remain carefully stored inside drawers, complete with clear government seals. Yet, for over a hundred Bangladeshi farmers in Muhurir Char under Parshuram, Feni, there is no right to set foot on the very soil where their ancestors poured blood and sweat. Armed with legitimate deeds but deprived of possession, these farmers have been enduring a cruel geopolitical reality since the 1947 Partition—a struggle spanning nearly 79 years. ​The dispute over this 92.14-acre land, formed along the banks of the Muhuri River at the Parshuram border, carries a long history between Bangladesh and India. Neither the historic Indira-Mujib Agreement of 1974, the 2011 Protocol, nor joint bilateral surveys have succeeded in resolving the stalemate. During the 2013–14 season, survey departments from both nations—supported by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India's Border Security Force (BSF)—demarcated the area by driving 44 wooden pegs into the ground. However, that measure proved merely temporary. Despite persistent calls from the Bangladeshi government to install permanent concrete pillars, no green light has emerged from the Indian side. Consequently, the wooden pegs have rotted, their internal iron rods have rusted, and the visibility of the boundary line has faded once again. ​Local civilians remain the primary victims of this geopolitical deadlock. Hundreds of bighas of land belonging to residents of Nij Kalikapur, Uttar Kautali, and Baurpathar under Mirzanagar Union currently lie under Indian control. Desperate farmers like Nurul Alam and Beyadhon Bibi paid with their lives merely for attempting to reclaim their property or cut grass. Between 1979 and 1999, border skirmishes between the former Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and BSF saw intermittent gun battles spanning 58 days. Although the rifles along the border have fallen silent over time, the farmers' uncertainty remains undiminished. Furthermore, the lack of clearly defined borders continues to heighten risks of drug smuggling and illegal cross-border movement. ​Despite more than seven decades of suffering, local residents are now harboring renewed hope. Ahead of a high-level government visit to inaugurate the long-awaited flood protection embankment along the Muhuri and Kahua rivers in Parshuram, farmers from Uttar Kautali and Fakirer Khil villages have raised their voices once more. ​They emphasize that alongside constructing permanent concrete border pillars for territorial security, diplomatic action is urgently required to guarantee their right to cultivate their ancestral lands safely. The farmers hope that this enduring border wound will finally heal and that long-awaited good news will restore access to their rightful land.