India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement

The India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement addressed irregular territorial arrangements inherited from the partition of Bengal. The 1974 Land Boundary Agreement, supplemented by the 2011 Protocol, sought to establish a clear, administrable international boundary without large-scale displacement of residents.

Territorial anomalies

The settlement addressed three principal anomalies along the land boundary.

• Enclaves were pockets of one country's territory completely surrounded by the other country. The agreement provided for the exchange of 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in India.
• Adverse possessions were areas legally belonging to one country but under the de facto possession and administration of the other. The boundary was adjusted largely according to existing possession, avoiding displacement.
• Undemarcated stretches persisted because the two countries had not agreed on the precise boundary alignment. The 2011 Protocol settled the remaining approximately 6.1 km in three sectors.

Implementation and residents

Territorial transfer required the Constitution (One Hundredth Amendment) Act, 2015, which amended the First Schedule to give effect to the agreement and protocol. Enclave residents received a choice of nationality, and the settlement avoided compulsory population exchange.

Significance for border management

A clearly demarcated boundary enables more effective administration, policing and border fencing. Removing enclaves and overlapping claims also improved access to public services and reduced jurisdictional uncertainty affecting residents and security agencies.

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