‘Mini Bangla’ hopes for better relations after Rahman return
Times of India | 27 December 2025
Kolkata: A day after Bangladesh Nationalist Party's acting president Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh, sparking hope of improvement in the India-Bangladesh bilateral relationship, Bangladeshis in Kolkata looked forward to an easing of visa restrictions in the months to come.
Marquis Street, home to a number of hotels where tourists from Bangladesh check in, had started looking deserted over the past few days after tension between the two countries escalated over reports of fresh violence. On Friday, a few Bangladeshis — mainly on medical visas — were found in the area.
Abdul Majid, a resident of Pabna in Bangladesh, reached Kolkata by train on Friday morning. This was his third visit to Kolkata in the past six months. "I have been coming frequently in the past couple of months as a relative is getting treated in India. This time, I have come to collect medicines for him. It is very difficult to get a visa these days," Majid said.
He felt hundreds of Bangladeshi patients prefer hospitals in Kolkata despite the govt asking people to scout for hospitals in other countries. "I will be happy if visa restrictions are lifted. I hope good sense prevails over both govts," Majid said.
Septuagenarian Md Nizamuddin Talukdar, a resident of Patuakhali in Barishal, came on a tourist visa. "I had a visa issued earlier and took the chance to visit Kolkata. Tarique Rahman's return has brought some hope in Bangladesh. He comes from the family which has led the country. Hopefully, he will work towards easing the tension between the two countries and rebuild trust between them," Talukdar said.
Abani Ghosh, director of Shyamali Yatri Paribahan, which runs bus services between Kolkata and Dhaka, said he is still trying to run buses thrice a week. "We have a capacity of 45 passengers per bus and we are fortunate if we manage to get 20 passengers now. We are incurring losses, and sometimes, services are suspended due to lack of passengers. Service providers in Bangladesh are facing the same issue," he said.
Md Nasiruddin, a resident of Chittagong, has come to Kolkata on a medical visa. Worried over the strained ties between the two countries, he, too, expressed hope for a relaxation in the visa restrictions in the coming months. "We are common people who come to India for medical issues, trade, or shopping during the festive season. Many have relatives here. We are more concerned with visa relaxation and improvement of trade between the two countries," he said.