All quiet on the eastern front: B'desh unrest grinds Petrapole business to a halt

Petrapole (West Bengal), 8 August Ganesh Datta cremated his wife on Monday and is now heading back home to Bangladesh.

- ISHITA AYAN DUTT

She had been battling cancer.

Since earlier this week, Bangladesh has been in the throes of a political crisis - a student agitation has cost Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina her seat of power, a new government led by Nobel laureate Muhammed Yunus has been sworn in, and there is hope for a return to normalcy.

To Datta, however, these developments pale in comparison to his personal loss.

"My wife is dead. I am in great pain," he said, burdened by grief as he made his way toward the passenger terminal at the Petrapole or Haridaspur land check post, one of the entry points for people travelling from Bangladesh into India (Benapole is the land port on the other side of the border).

Among the thousands who come to India from Bangladesh daily for medical treatment, Datta's wife was one. But the movement of people has dwindled over the past few days due to the unrest in the neighbouring country.

The effect? Haridaspur, which accounts for the third-highest percentage of foreign tourist arrivals after Delhi and Mumbai, has fallen quiet. The long queues have disappeared; those currently crossing the border mostly have pressing reasons.

Caught off-guard

Namita Sarkar, who has relatives on the Indian side, had come on a pilgrimage. She is now hurrying back. "The situation in Bangladesh is very bad.

My son and daughter are there. I have to go back."