Kolkata, May 28 -- As dawn broke over the Hakimpur border checkpost in North 24-Parganas on Thursday, the crowd of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants waiting to cross back into Bangladesh steadily swelled.
Men carrying sacks on their heads, women clutching trolley bags, elderly parents leaning on relatives, and mothers holding small children stood silently in queues near the border.
Officials and local sources estimated that over 100 people had gathered there during the day. Many among them claimed they had entered India illegally through agents after paying between Rs 25,000 and more for the journey across the border.
Amid the tense atmosphere, only sighs and whispered conversations broke the silence.
Hakimpur in Swarupnagar has witnessed ...