The national flag of Bangladesh has been hoisted at the new territories at the dawn of the day.
After hoisting the flag, local people sang the national anthem of Bangladesh.
The 111 enclaves were added with Bangladesh territory at 12:01am Saturday. Sixty-eight candles, one for each year that the so-called chhitmahals have been in existence, were lit up at the same time across all 111 new territories.
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Many houses were also decorated with 68 candles as a symbol of “deliverance from darkness and a hope for a bright future.”
After the candle lighting ceremony, local residents held a rally proudly holding aloft torches and the Bangladesh flag.
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Residents say they are hopeful and excited about the prospects offered by Bangladeshi nationality after enduring what they described as seven decades of neglect under Indian tutelage.
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On June 6, 2015, India and Bangladesh exchanged the instruments of ratification of the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement, 1974 and its 2011 Protocol, in presence of Indian Premier Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Dhaka.
