A chicken with two necks: India's strategic counter to Bangladesh

Economic Times

26-05-2025

The strategic fragility of the Siliguri Corridor
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India's eastern borders are in ferment with Bangladesh aligning with India's adversaries China and Pakistan. The spotlight has fallen on a key vulnerability, the Siliguri corridor , a thin strip of land called "Chicken's Neck" which connects India to seven northeastern states as well as Sikkim. Anti-India elements within the country and Bangladesh have long dreamed of cutting the chicken's neck to sever the northeastern states from India. With Bangladesh's strengthening ties with China, the risk to the Chicken's Neck has grown.A few weeks ago, ALM Fazlur Rahman, a retired major general and an adviser to Bangladesh's interim government, kicked up a storm with his Facebook post after the Pahalgam terror attack when India was planning to attack terror infrastructure in Pakistan. 'If India attacks Pakistan, Bangladesh should occupy seven states of North East India. In this regard, I think it is necessary to start a discussion on a joint military system with China," he wrote in Bangla.Though the Bangladesh government distanced itself from his remarks, they indicated a developing threat for India on its eastern border. Before him, Bangladesh interim government chief Muhammad Yunus made a controversial remark after his visit to Beijing, issuing a veiled threat about India's tenuous land link with its northeastern states.Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday delivered a stern warning to Bangladesh to keep its eyes off the Siliguri Corridor. "They (Bangladesh) have two 'Chicken Necks', India has one. If they attack ours, we will attack their two chicken necks," Sarma said.The Siliguri Corridor, referred to as the Chicken's Neck, is arguably one of India's most critical geopolitical vulnerabilities. Just about 22 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, this slender strip of land connects mainland India to its eight northeastern states, threading between Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. Its importance cannot be overstated—it is the lifeline for nearly 45 million people in India's northeast, the transit route for military logistics, and a key axis of national integration. Recent political developments, including Bangladesh's shifting allegiances, increased Chinese activity near India's borders, and rising radical sentiments in the region, have reignited concerns about the corridor's long-term security.Many years ago, Sharjeel Imam, a PhD scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University, had asked people during the stir against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act to indulge in unlawful activities and block the Chicken's Neck to isolate northeastern states from the rest of India, hinting at a larger conspiracy against the integrity of the country.China's expanding military infrastructure near the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction has further heightened tensions in the region. The 2017 Doklam standoff underscored the corridor's vulnerability, prompting India to ramp up its defenses. The presence of a single railway line through the corridor as the primary supply route remains a strategic concern, as it could be a target in case of hostilities. China's aggressive posture, including its plans to develop the Lalmonirhat airport in Bangladesh near the Siliguri Corridor, magnifies the threat. This would enable Beijing to potentially exert soft and hard influence over the region, if not directly threaten the corridor itself.China's strategy of encircling India has long been recognized—whether through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), its deepening ties with Sri Lanka and Nepal, or now, its renewed engagement with Bangladesh. The possible development of Lalmonirhat airport near the Siliguri Corridor raises strategic alarm bells in Delhi. While ostensibly a civil aviation project, its dual-use potential for military operations is significant.If a coordinated threat ever emerges—say, China exerting pressure from the north and a hostile Bangladesh creating turbulence from the south—India could face an unprecedented dual-front crisis in the Siliguri region. The geographical constraints of the corridor would make rapid military mobilization difficult, while any insurgent or fifth column activity could paralyze logistics and delay response times.Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's statement on higher vulnerability of Bangladesh's own chicken's necks has brought forth India's strategic options in the region. Sarma said Bangladesh's own chicken's necks are far more vulnerable. "First is the 80 Km North Bangladesh Corridor - from Dakhin Dinajpur to South West Garo Hills. Any disruption here can completely isolate the entire Rangpur division from the rest of Bangladesh," he wrote on X. "Second is the 28 km Chittagong Corridor , from South Tripura till the Bay of Bengal. This corridor, smaller than India's chicken neck, is the only link between Bangladesh's economic capital and political capital. I am only presenting geographical facts that some may tend to forget."Chittagong Port, which handles most of Bangladesh's imports and exports, is connected to the country with the second chicken's neck Sarma mentioned. Sarma's statement is not just rhetorical. It is a reminder that India, too, has strategic options. A show of strength, without overt aggression, could serve as a deterrent.While India is adopting a layered and multi-pronged approach to secure its eastern flank -- hardening the Siliguri Corridor with infrastructure upgrades, widening highways, building parallel rail lines, holding security exercises and putting trade restrictions -- Sarma's comments highlight the hard leverage India enjoys on Bangladesh.(With inputs from TOI)