---
title: "India-Bangladesh Enclaves (Chhitmahals): Explained"
description: "India-Bangladesh enclaves (chhitmahals) are territories exchanged on 31 July 2015, resolving a 68-year statelessness issue for residents."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/india-bangladesh-enclaves"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The India-Bangladesh enclaves were sovereign pockets of one country's territory wholly surrounded by the other, exchanged on 31 July 2015 under the Land Boundary Agreement.
- Why did the enclave exchange take from 1974 to 2015 to implement?
- What was Dahala Khagrabari and why was it significant?
- How many enclaves and people were involved in the 2015 swap?
- How do the enclaves differ from the broader India-Bangladesh border dispute?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The India-Bangladesh enclaves were sovereign pockets of one country's territory wholly surrounded by the other, exchanged on 31 July 2015 under the Land Boundary Agreement.

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## Timeline

1. 31 July 2015

   The India-Bangladesh enclaves were sovereign pockets of one country's territory wholly surrounded by the other, exchanged on under the Land Boundary Agreement.

2. 28 August 1949

   When Cooch Behar acceded to the Indian Union on and the surrounding districts became part of East Pakistan, these scattered holdings were frozen into an int…

3. 10 September 1958

   The principal legal instrument addressing them was the Nehru-Noon Agreement of , followed by the Indira-Mujib Land Boundary Agreement of 16 May 1974, neither…

4. 16 May 1974

   The principal legal instrument addressing them was the Nehru-Noon Agreement of 10 September 1958, followed by the Indira-Mujib Land Boundary Agreement of , n…

5. 1 August 2015

   The instruments of exchange of ratification took legal effect at the stroke of midnight between 31 July and .

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Example

On 31 July 2015 India and Bangladesh exchanged 162 enclaves at midnight, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina giving roughly 51,000 stateless chhitmahal residents a choice of nationality.

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