‘They just vanish in thin air.’

I caught up with Rathin Das In Tehetta Bazar,adjacent to the Bangladesh border.He has a valid passport.But he didn’t feel the urge to renew his visa.

"Do you know the consequence of this offence?"

Sticking his nose higher in the air,Rathin replied,"Are you joking?-Do you know the actual figure of Bangladeshis who entered India through valid passports and visas cannot be traced?They Just vanish in thin air.I’m just one of them."

Rathin then lifted the pile of papers and pointed  his right finger in the middle,shuffled them a little and said,"Look at this figure-Authorities couldn’t trace over 1.2 million people from across the border legally through this state since 1970s."

I met Sohail and his wife Rasheeda,near Karimpur in Nadia district another border town, They cross over the border for medical treatment.Infact,thousands from Bangladesh  prefer to come to Bengal for even minor medical treatments.Throughout the year,Bangladeshis occupy the hotel rooms in Sudder street and other parts of Calcutta.For some of them Calcutta  is their second home.