Rajan Kour
Amid the changing geopolitical scenario and increasing anti India sentiment in Bangladesh, there are significant decisions India has to take to safeguard its interests.
In this backdrop, the visit of the Eastern Command’s General Officer Commanding Lt General RC Tiwari’s visit to Thuampui near Aizwal in Mizoram on December 19 last week, assumes substantial significance.
In view of the volatile situation since August 2024, after the forcible ouster of Sheikh Hasina government, India is cautiously charting the course not only to keep the anti India activities of its hostile neighbour in check but to also secure its territory and more than 40 million people residing in its northeastern states.
The concerns of India to the evolving situation in Bangladesh are valid. India’s northeastern states are connected to the rest of India by Siliguri Corridor-a narrow 22 kms stretch known popularly as ‘Chicken neck. Therefore protecting Northeastern states which share 1880 kms of border with Bangladesh, further consolidating of this corridor is being considered as a foremost national security priority by the government.
Since Sheikh Hasina, former Prime minister of Bangladesh was forced to abdicate her post due to protests launched by student activists and her consequent refuge in India, incidents inimical to interests of India are emanating from the soil of Bangladesh.
Alongside the palpable Chinese influence, past couple of days have particularly exposed the dirty games being played by Pakistan in order to flare up not only anti Indian stance in Bangladesh populace but to use its radical elements to issue threats to sovereignty of India. This has brought to the fore that the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and collapse of her party Awami League has hit the interests of India to an extent. Hasina during her tenure of fifteen years ensured relatively stable India- Bangladesh ties. She was also instrumental in curbing anti India activities to a considerable extent.
Recently in an inflammatory speech, Hasnat Abdullah, previously a student activist now a leader of newly launched National Citizen party, threatened to sever NorthEastern India from rest of the country besides sheltering separatists targeting these states.
Added to this, the killing of staunch critic of India and leader of Bangladesh student led uprising which brought down Awami League government, Sharif Osman Hadi on December 18, the Bangladesh is on the edge with Islamist fanatics blaming India for allegedly shielding assailants of Hadi. The very recent attacks on Indian diplomatic missions in Dhaka are enough to gauge how hatred against India is being professed and practiced particularly at the behest of Pakistan aided by China.
Question is who helped in radicalising the campuses and who gave students the spine to issue threats to a powerful nation as India?India certainly knows that the lid has been blown off the China Pakistan nexus. Their strategies to destabilise India by taking radical elements in Bangladesh on board is out in the open. As such backed by Pak army and rouge agency ISI , infiltrators may be pushed inside India.Moreover India may find it increasingly difficult to reign in the separatist groups operating in Northeastern states which could be further strengthened with shelter and arms by China and Pakistan. Controlling the flow of drugs and ammunition inside Indian territory may be another headache for the Indian agencies.
Alongside the fears of Chinese attempts to sever the Siliguri corridor are not unfounded. Being a narrow land bordered by Nepal, Bangladesh , Bhutan and close proximity to Chumbi valley controlled by China, it has compelled India to prioritise strong defence network around the strategic corridor. Moreover past strifes over Doklam raise concerns over China’s intentions regarding Chicken neck corridor.
More so with reports of China helping Bangladesh in reviving the World War II inactive airbase at Lalmonirhat which is at a bare distance of 12-15 kilometres from the Indian border is causing concern as it may provide China surveillance into India’s Eastern Air Command. It may also increase the strategic vulnerability of the Siliguri passage.
Such unfolding of events is being deemed by many defence analysts as collaborative China- Pakistan overtures precisely aimed at encirclement of India’s Eastern front, with an aim to contain India. However China continues with no dubiety to consolidate itself all across Himalayan stretch while gaining access to Bay of Bengal through Bangladesh.
Hence India’s concern is justified due to political changes in neighbourhood which has forced it to revisit the security of this region.
In the past one year, after setting three new army bases in Kisanganj in Bihar, Bamunigaon in Assam and Chopra in West Bengal to fortify the Chicken neck corridor, the defence authorities are working to set up the fourth base in Mizoram. As such the GOC Eastern Command’s visit to this region is being emphasised for securing the stretch militarily with permanent army bases equipped with the most modern weapon systems.
While several major infrastructure projects were being developed as the Gorakhpur -Siliguri Expressway with many others in the pipeline, India was bolstering connectivity through Bangladesh to reduce leaning solely on this narrow corridor.
Sheikh Hasina’s fall however has brought uncertainty on all fronts concerning both countries including connectivity which is vital to India’s economic and defence interests.
After Operation Sindoor, Pakistan as well as China have become wary of India’s tactical and calibrated war strategy. So this nexus is trying to unleash unruly fundamentalist and radicalised groups in Bangladesh. Or what else can explain the sudden surge of youth nationalism there?
However with the elections scheduled to be held in Bangladesh in February 2026, alongside the newly launched parties by student activists, the previously banned Jamaat-e-Islami too has returned and is in the fray.
So it would be prudent on the part of India to address and deter unconventional threats on its eastern front by securing it robustly. Secondly, all security threats triggered from Bangladesh need to be dealt with firm diplomatic measures, especially taking on board countries having strong ties with India. Next, while focussed approach should be on infrastructure and human resource development in Northeastern states, the separatist groups operating should be dealt with iron hands. Besides India should wait and watch which party assumes power if elections are held as scheduled in Bangladesh and try to engage with it.
However what needs to be acknowledged is that the evil China- Pakistan nexus is in India’s backyard for some serious dirty games. Though it would be a long haul for India yet steadfast strategic thinking and its consequent execution on ground is the need of the hour. How politically astute and militarily potent India checkmates China and Pakistan operating against it’s interests in Bangladesh will come to the fore sooner rather than later.
(The author is a senior Journalist)
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