New Delhi has heralded a new chapter in strengthening the national security architecture of the country, especially in the eastern frontiers as the region is emerging as a critical corridor for championing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. This strategic concern has been stimulated mainly due to the fundamental shift in the political landscape of Bangladesh and its soaring nexus with Pakistan.
Indian Army has carved three new fully operational military garrisons at the strategic Siliguri corridor which is popularly called as the “Chicken’s Neck”. Military garrisons refers to a body of troops stationed at a fortified strategic point. These new military posts are established at Bamuni(near Dhubri) in Assam, Kishanganj in the state of Bihar and Chopra in West Bengal.
As per the sources, these critical military posts aim to bridge the gaps in the national security apparatus of the country, especially in the eastern borders. The garrisons are part of the umbrella vision of bolstering the state-of-the-art infrastructure, surveillance and rapid-response system in the vital landscape of India that acts as a catalyst in the security realignment prospects of the country in response to the geopolitical swings.
Siliguri: An emerging strongest defence corridor of India
Senior military officials asserted that the Siliguri Corridor will soon emerge as the strongest and strategically most vital defence corridor of the country. “The Siliguri corridor is under multi-layered cover. The new garrisons will enhance our quick mobility, logistics and real-time intelligence integration capabilities”, Army sources affirmed.
India thus deems and envisions the Chicken’s Neck as the strategic strength of India to further accelerate the momentum of the country’s security paradigm. New Delhi, thus never considers the Siluguri corridor that connects the Northeastern region to the rest of India, as a strategic vulnerability. In this backdrop, any intelligence gaps, infrastructure cliff is continuously bridged and the Northeast is revolutionized as the security bullwark and strength of India.
For example, the Chief of the Indian Army General Upendra Dwivedi had earlier stated that Chicken’s Neck is India’s strongest link in terms of national security as the entire eastern forces of the Indian Army from West Bengal, Sikkim and other places can be converged and deployed in the region. Siliguri is thus the epicentre for the Northeast in terms of consolidating the forces and anchoring the geopolitical edge.
Indian Defence Forces are also anchoring a multi-layered security parameter in the strategic Siliguri corridor to amplify India’s offensive and defensive capabilities. The Trishakti Corps stationed at Sukna near the Siliguri Corridor will guard the newly anchored military garrisons. To evaluate and bridge the critical infrastructure and intelligence gaps, the stationed troops will conduct routine drills, live-firing exercises and the cutting edge military equipment and technologies including T-90 tanks have been deployed in the military stations.
The Army sources also asserted that to reinforce the security architecture of the region through the air, Rafale fighter jets will be deployed at the Hashimara Airbase in West Bengal. MiG fighter jet variants, S-400 and Akash-NG missile systems and even BrahMos missiles are kept on alert to bolster the comprehensive strength of the military posts and to articulate a solid security reign in the eastern borders. These preparedness and 360 degree vigilance boosts the operational readiness of the troops under unforeseen circumstances.
Political distortion in Dhaka instigates New Delhi to reorient its security sigma
Northeast has been an integral part of the Indian Union since time immemorial culturally, politically and socially. However, the 21st century geopolitical conundrum has been a prickle in the path of hailing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India through the Northeastern frontiers. To sail over these challenges, India is consistently involved in infrastructure development and security consolidation in the region.
However, with the ouster of Sheikh Hasina regime in Dhaka in August 2024 and with the take over of the country’s administration by the interim government under Muhammad Yunus, there has been a fundamental shift in New Delhi-Dhaka ties. Anti-India rhetoric has been spiking in Bangladesh and Yunus is persistently targeting the Northeastern region of India with illicit motives of expansionism and infiltration.
During his visit to Beijing in March this year, Muhammad Yunus had stated that the Northeast of India can be a potential site for the expansion of the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) of China. He also had exclaimed that the region of Northeast is “landlocked” and Bangladesh is the “only guardian of the oceans for all this region”. From an analytical lens, these statements from Yunus are deemed as truly provocative.
Further, the soaring nexus between Dhaka and Islamabad is an added security peril for India. Bangladesh and Pakistan have signed a series of high-stake defence agreements in terms of development of military infrastructure, weapon supply and intelligence sharing. Both nations are about to conduct military exercises. Recently, Muhammad Yunus also presented an artwork to Pakistan General which depicted the altered map of Bangladesh by annexing the territories of Northeast India. These developments foster heightened security alertness for India from the eastern sector as illicit anti-India activities and illegal terror infiltration can spur from India’s backyard.
In this context, the new military posts articulated in the eastern frontier are set to redefine and realign the security construct of the Northeast, a region key to India’s growth story. New Delhi is carefully choreographing the security and strategic prospects of the Northeastern sector to successfully counter the geopolitical ramifications. The vision is to erect a strong security pattern and strike the strategic edge against probable threats, thus orchestrating Northeast and specifically the Siliguri as India’s strategic strength and not weakness as considered by Bangladesh, Pakistan or any other geopolitical players. Siluguri is a corridor to craft India’s economic progress and not a brewing geopolitical theatre to yield unsustainable hegemonic ambitions.
