India’s Siliguri Corridor is known as one of the most sensitive areas of geopolitics in South Asia. The only 22-kilometer-wide stretch of land is also known as the Chicken’s Neck. This corridor connects the seven northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura to mainland India. Surrounded by Nepal-Bhutan on one side and Bangladesh and China on the other, this region has long been the center of India’s strategic weakness.
Recently, several Indian media reports said that the country’s army has set up three new full-fledged garrisons (active army bases) around the Siliguri Corridor and a large-scale troop buildup is being observed in the border area.
DW Bangla’s border correspondent, Samantak Ghosh, said that although the Indian army or government agencies have not officially said anything about this, the deployment of large forces, new installations and increased patrols are clearly visible.
The increased military presence comes at a time when Bangladesh-India relations have plunged to one of their lowest points in history after the fall of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death in a case of crimes against humanity committed during the July mass uprising. She has been in India since she resigned on August 5 last year following a student uprising.
After the verdict was announced, Asif Nazrul, legal advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh, told reporters that the Bangladesh government will write to India again to bring back ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity.
However, although Bangladesh is preparing to implement the ‘extradition agreement’ to bring Hasina back home, India’s official position is still unclear. This issue has also become a source of tension between the two countries.
Sheikh Hasina, who was in power for 15 years, kept India-Bangladesh relations relatively stable. However, her taking refuge in India and the events that followed have created major instability in the relationship between the two countries. The interim government of Bangladesh is led by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus. There are indications that this government is not watching India as closely as before.
Harsh V., head of the Strategic Studies Program at the Observer Research Foundation, a think tank in New Delhi, said that the government is not looking at India as closely as before. “The Siliguri corridor is a strategic weakness of India, which needs to be protected,” Pant told DW.
He added that the growing anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh and the indications of the anti-India stance of the Dr. Yunus government have both alerted New Delhi.
In addition to the news of the new garrison, the Indian Air Force staged one of the largest air shows in history in Assam on November 9. It then conducted a major seven-day exercise in the northeast from November 13 to 20.
These military activities come at a time when a Pakistani warship has docked in Bangladesh for the first time since 1971 and the Pakistani Navy chief has visited Dhaka.
Harsh V. Pant said that India is sending out regular military exercises that it is aware of regional challenges. However, according to him, the air shows were not a show of force against anyone in particular.
“Sometimes these are regular exercises, sometimes they are a strategy to send a message. The situation can change overnight—today’s friend can be tomorrow’s enemy.’
Harsh V. Pant believes that tensions could escalate further if India’s military moves are defensive; especially if the ‘provocative’ rhetoric of the Bangladeshi interim government continues.
He refers to a comment made by Dr. Yunus. In March this year, the head of the interim government, Dr. Yunus, made such a comment. Although Dhaka claimed that the intention of the comment was to highlight the possibility of regional connectivity, New Delhi did not take the comment well due to the geopolitical sensitivities of the area.
Dr. Yunus had said, ‘India’s northeast is landlocked, and Bangladesh is their only gateway to the sea.’ The issue was uncomfortable for India.
The governments of both countries have remained silent on the increase in military presence and also declined DW’s request for comment.
DW says that India is probably keeping the Bangladeshi interim government waiting in anticipation of the national elections in February. That is, ‘relations will be fully restored only when an elected government comes.’
Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, relations have basically been deteriorating. However, there is still mistrust behind some issues.
India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019 has had a severe negative impact on Bangladesh. The use of the term ‘Bangladeshi infiltrator’ in the words of Indian political leaders has increased hostility. And Sheikh Hasina’s move to India has deepened this dispute.
India has remained silent despite Dhaka’s repeated demands for her return. In addition, Sheikh Hasina’s presence in the Indian and international media is being seen as a provocation by Dhaka. On November 12, Bangladesh summoned the Indian High Commissioner and expressed its concerns about this.
Former Bangladeshi diplomat M Humayun Kabir told DW, ‘For 15 years, India thought that Dhaka was under their control—this era is over. But India’s tendency to expand its influence over smaller countries has increased.
Along with the India-Bangladesh tension, there is also a new warmth in relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Harsh V. Pant, head of the Strategic Studies Program at the Observer Research Foundation, calls it a “new love.”
Pakistan, which gained independence from Pakistan in 1971 through a bloody war, is now actively strengthening relations with Dhaka. Recently, Islamabad has sent a high-ranking delegation, including the foreign and intelligence chiefs, to Dhaka, signed new trade agreements, revived military cooperation, and Pakistani naval ships have visited Bangladeshi ports.
According to analysts, Bangladesh is getting closer to Pakistan to counter Indian influence, and India sees this as a security threat.
Bangladeshi security analyst and former general Fazle Elahi Akbar told DW, “Bangladesh must acknowledge India’s role in 1971, but it will not continue to appease India if its own interests are harmed.”
Former diplomat M Humayun Kabir said, “Bangladesh understands the basis of its relationship with India, but the relationship requires mutual respect, equality and dignity; which is not reflected in India’s behavior.”
However, amid the ongoing tensions, Khalilur Rahman, the security advisor to the Bangladesh interim government, is visiting New Delhi on November 19 to participate in the Colombo Security Conclave. He is likely to meet Indian security advisor Ajit Doval there. The visit is considered particularly important after Sheikh Hasina’s verdict today.
Bangladeshi security analyst and former general Fazle Elahi Akbar told DW, “Bangladesh must acknowledge India’s role in 1971, but it will not continue to appease India if its own interests are harmed.”
Former diplomat M Humayun Kabir said, “Bangladesh understands the basis of its relationship with India, but the relationship requires mutual respect, equality and dignity; which is not reflected in India’s behavior.”
However, amid the ongoing tensions, Khalilur Rahman, the security advisor to the Bangladesh interim government, is visiting New Delhi on November 19 to participate in the Colombo Security Conclave. He is likely to meet Indian security advisor Ajit Doval there. The visit is considered particularly important after Sheikh Hasina’s verdict today.
