Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
India’s northeast dangles by a thread—just 22 km wide. If this sliver of land goes dark, 45 million people are effectively cut off. No backup route. No second chance.
Representative pic
China’s highways in Nepal. Ports in Bangladesh. Listening posts in Myanmar. Experts warn the Dragon’s grip is tightening around India’s softest point—and fast.
Bangladesh’s recent comments about “guarding” India’s access to the sea stirred anxiety in Delhi. Is Dhaka flexing muscle—or signaling a strategic pivot?
1962. 2017. And now 2025? Every standoff at the Chicken Neck adds fuel to a looming flashpoint. Military analysts say it’s not if—but when.
Pakistani intel in Dhaka. China-backed networks across the border. The Chicken Neck is increasingly seen as India’s Achilles’ heel in a hybrid war scenario.
Rafales scream overhead. BrahMos batteries line the hills. India’s military buildup in Siliguri is less about defense—and more about survival.
With Bhutan’s fragile stability and Nepal’s political flip-flops, India’s strategic buffer zone is eroding. Siliguri’s importance grows as regional ground shifts.
No detours. No Plan B. India’s entire northeastern artery flows through this single corridor. And Beijing knows it.
Representative pic
As China revives its ancient trade routes across South Asia, India’s Chicken Neck looks more and more like a pressure valve waiting to burst.
Representative pic