The enclaves were small parts of Kamrup Kingdom, clear from the Census Report, 1951. According to that report, some of them were wasted from during Bhutanese, Pathan (a race of Muslim community), inhabitant of the North-West Frontier Province, and Mughal (also a race of Muslim community) invansions in the 17th and the 18th centuries, when various internal brawls cropped up in the royal family of 'Coochbehar Estate'.
Later on, the Maharaja (that is, Emperor) of Coochbehar ruled these enclaves. After that, these enclaves came under the administration of ‘British’, when the East Indian Company captured the ‘Estate of Coochbehar’ as a feudatory state. They liked to continue the same arrangement.
As per local government officials, in 1937, N. C. Mustafi on behalf of the then ruler of Coochbehar and A. C. Hartley, on behalf of the British Government jointly made a map on these enclaves.
India began to exercise her control since the merger agreement, on 28th August, 1949, between the Government of India and the emperor of Coochbehar-estate. The Raja (that is, King) of Coochbehar yielded his estate to the Government of India later on. According to the records of the Government of India Gazette, 1977, after the partition, an agreement was made on 28th August, 1949, between the Governor General of India and His Highness Maharaja Jag Dipendra Narain of Cooch Behar State to provide administration under the authority of dominion of Indian Union. Later, Coochbehar State merged into India on 12th September, 1949, on 01st January, 1950 Coochbehar ceased to continue as a part of 'C' State and by virtue of Section 29 (I) of Government of India Act, 1935, Coochbehar State came into existence as a district of Indian State, West Bengal w.e.f. January, 1960.
Though, meanwhile, there occurred an agreement on 10th September, 1958, between the then Prime Minister (PM) of the then West-Pakistan (that is, presently 'Pakistan'), Feroz Khan Noon and Indian the then PM, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (known as – Indo-Pak Agreement, 10th September, 1958), which clearly stated that there should be no claim of compensation for the additional regions entering into Pakistan but the same remained un-implemented.
But, as per local erudition, before 1949, the enclaves (at that time, it was locally called mouza, that is, cluster), which erstwhile the emperor of Coochbehar (now in India) and the Zamindar (that is, Landlord or Land-holder) of Rongpur of the then East-Pakistan, that is, East-Bengal (locally called – Purbo Bangla or known as – Purbo Bango), presently in ‘Bangladesh’, bartered each other as rewards, when they lost a game during a chess-game.
According to the versions of the observers, “The rulers of these states gifted a piece of land in the honour of the visiting ruler, whenever, they paid visits to each other. As per another version, the rulers were renowned gamblers and they used to give a piece of land upon losing to each other in gambling. The piece of land so given away is called – chhitmahal or enclave. The dictionary meaning of enclave is ‘a foreign territory surrounded by one’s own territory’. And these above-mentioned enclaves are all located in the part of former 02-numbers of neighbouring independent nation – Coochbehar (now in India) and Rongpur (earlier in East Pakistan and now in Bangladesh) during English period. There are dissimilar descriptions of as regards to surfacing of these above enclaves”.
On the other hand, some of the local people and the octogenarians are of coherent historical opinion that these enclaves were created during the conflicts that broke out in the 16th century between the then Rajas of Coochbehar and the Mughals. The Mughals could not drive away the inhabitants of the Indian enclaves, even after their influence that later on became the part of Coochbehar Kingdom. Of them, a part merged with the then British district Rongpur, presently in Bangladesh. In that way, many years passed by in the same way, that is, overlapped.
During the invasion of Mughul General, Mirjumla in 1661, Coochbehar was an independent estate. Mirjumla was partially successful and some parts of that estate came under the sway of the Mughal. But the people, who lived there, paid their loyalty to the Nazim (that is, Moslem or Collector of Revenue), Nawab of Bengal (that is, Provincial Governor of Ruler).
At that time, there were some small autonomous pocket or isolated island areas were born in and around the independent estate, Coochbehar. For diplomatic cause, the British honoured the independence status of those tributary estates or those autonomous small pockets.
Although, the origin of the enclaves are shaded with darkness. According to some noted historians, during the Mughal attacked between the years 1687 to 1699, there were some mighty landlords, who were called Chakladar in and around the State of Coochbehar. These landowners did not surrender to the Mughal
These suzerains, who were often called Bhuyan in the then Undivided Kamrup kingdom kept their authority on those areas (that is, Chakala)s, like Boda, Patgram and Purbabhagh of Coochbehar-estate. But, the Mughal did not disinherit them and so they continued to rule as usual.
In the year 1712, when Khan Jehan Khan, the Governor of Bengal rescued and broad these three estate under his administration, a pact was sign between the Nawab of Bengal, where and the Maharaja of Coochbehar-estate. This treaty permitted these three chakla to rule. These chakladars, who had not been inherited by Mughals, later on came to the sway of the Raja of the Coochbehar-estate and so, these areas couldn’t turn into Zamindari, but had not direct connection with administration of the Raja of Coochbehar-estate.
According to the Report of the Survey & Settlement Operations, 1931-1938 made by C. Hartley, Coochbehar had initially 158 enclaves of her own of which 44 numbers of enclaves, where situated in the then Undivided Rongpur District of East India Company of British Government, that is, pre-partition district of Jalpaiguri (presently, Jalpaiguri District of Indian State, West-Bengal) and 01 (one) was the then Undivided Goalpara District of Undivided Assam State, which is also presently known as another Indian State, Assam.
Although, Jalpaiguri district was formed out of undivided British district, Rongpur, 1868, the enclaves of Cooochbehar also under the administration of the districts of ‘Undivided India’ - Dinajpur, Rongpur and Jalpaiguri before 15th August, 1947 (that is, in the pre-partition times).
After that, the Indian Independence Act (IIA) of 1947 was passed on July 18th, 1947 in the ‘Parliament of the Great Britain (that is, England)’. As a result, of this India was divided into the dominions – ‘India’ and ‘Pakistan’. That act came into force on August 15th, 1947.
In the mean time, a boundary commission formed under the chairmanship of Sir Cyril Radcliffe as per Section 03(03) of the said IIA, 1947. This commission put forward a reward, which was determined the inter area of the boundaries of the estate of West-Bengal and East-Bengal respectively, made under Section 03(01) (b) of the IIA, before independence.
In addition this, the commission under the chairmanship of S. C. Radcliff, included 05 more Thana (that is, Police Station)s of Jalpaiguri district in East-Bengal. These thanas were a) Pnchagarh, b) Debigonj, c) Tentulia, d) Patgram and e) Boda. But, when the state of Coochbehar was merged with the Indian State, West-Bengal, it was form that the 17 numbers of Coochbehar enclaves under Haldibari PS fell under the administration of Jalpaiguri PS of Jalpaiguri district of Indian State, West-Bengal (see the Table-V).
Seeing this, West-Bengal Government decided to make plan to shift these 17 numbers of enclave under the Indian West-Bengal State Government Home (Police) Department, Notification Number – 2427 P. L. dated 27th June, 1952 to the Jalpaiguri district permanently. [As a result, West-Bengal had lost these 05 Thanas because of the new addition noted above. Thus, the germs of this present problem and conflict of South Berubari.]
It is fact that after partition of India on 15th August, 1947, Coochbehar State merged with Indian Union and Rongpur State (earlier under in East Pakistan State) now Bangladesh. Hence, 111-numbers of Indian enclave inside Bangladesh fell inside erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh and 53-numbers of erstwhile East Pakistani, now Bangladeshi enclave fell inside India. Indian enclaves are mostly under administration and jurisdiction of Mekhliganj Sub-division of Coochbehar district of Indian State, WB. Road and even, railway ran across each other’s enclaves. The inhabitants of these aforesaid enclaves primarily had no troubles as they could travel or move, wherever they liked. For everything, the dwellers were mutually dependent with neighbouring areas. They were even, reliant with parent country only on administrative and judicial issues.
