In a landmark development, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has successfully reclaimed 91 bighas of land along the Jagdal and Beurajhari borders in Ranishankail upazila, Thakurgaon district, marking the end of a 70-year period under Indian control.

Lt Col Tanjir Ahmed, commander of BGB's 50th Battalion in Thakurgaon, officially confirmed the development on Tuesday, symbolising the reclaimed territory by hoisting a white flag.

The retrieval was the culmination of a diplomatic and procedural engagement between Bangladesh and India, starting with a formal request by BGB for a land survey.

"This achievement stemmed from our initial identification of certain areas along the Jagdal and Beurajhari borders as rightfully belonging to Bangladesh. Following our appeal, a joint BGB and BSF (Border Security Force) survey corroborated our stance, leading to the restoration of these lands to Bangladesh," explained Lt Col Tanjir.

The community along the borders has expressed immense joy over the return of the 91 bighas, which have now been recorded in the government's official land documents (khas khatian). The breakdown of the recovered land includes about 15 bighas in the Jagdal BOP (Border Outpost) area and approximately 76 bighas in the Beurajhari BOP area. Notably, 77 bighas of the land are arable, with 11 bighas comprising tea gardens and the remaining three bighas being river chars (riverine islands).

The conclusive joint survey, conducted on March 6 and 7 by the Assistant Survey and Charge Officer of Bangladesh Land Record and Survey Department alongside the Indian Survey Department's Assistant Charge Officer, not only affirmed the 91 bighas for Bangladesh but also recognised 23.5 bighas of land to be in India's favor.