In a first, BSF denies permission for 'Kannakatir Mela'

On the occasion of Ganga Puja, a border-bond fair is held every year in the no man's land on the Bangladesh-India border in Lalmonirhat.

However, this year's fair, locally known as "Kannakatir Mela," was cancelled as India's BSF did not give permission for it for the first time in nearly 60 years.

Bangladeshis and Indians who were separated during the partition, come together at the fair to meet their loved ones from across the border.

The "Kannakatir Mela," is held on the banks of River Malda, right beside barbed-wire fences, during the Bengali month of Chaitra every year.

It is said that everyone cries during the fair, which is why it came to be known as Kannakatir Mela.