No Indo-Bangladesh Border Fair in Thakurgaon This Year

The annual gathering and traditional fair along the Bangladesh-India border in Thakurgaon's Ranishankail upazila, scheduled for today, will not take place this year. Rakibul Hasan, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Ranishankail, announced that the local administration issued an urgent notice banning the event, citing concerns over potential disturbances and a possible deterioration in law and order. Additionally, a flag meeting between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India’s Border Security Force (BSF) resulted in a joint decision to cancel the gathering, with both sides urging people to refrain from assembling near the border.

The Pathar Kali Mela, traditionally held on the banks of the Kulik River in the Tengria Gobindpur area of Chapasar Tajigaon village, near the Thakurgaon border in Ranishankail and Haripur upazilas, draws large crowds. Each year, approximately 20,000 to 30,000 people from both countries gather to meet relatives living on opposite sides of the barbed-wire fence. Attendees are usually given two to three hours for these reunions.