What are two Chicken Necks of Bangladesh? Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma reminds Dhaka of its vulnerabilities

What is India's "chicken neck"?

The Siliguri corridor — a narrow strip of land that measures approximately 22 to 35 kilometres in width connecting the northeast region with the rest of India — is known as India's chicken's neck.

The strip of land located between Nepal and Bangladesh serves as the only land connection between India's "Seven Sisters" (the seven northeastern states - Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura) and the "Brother" - Sikkim. A solitary railway line that connects the northeast from the rest of the country also runs through this chicken neck corridor.

Image shared by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

What are Bangladesh's two chicken necks?

The two chicken necks of Bangladesh, referred by the Assam Chief Minister, are the two narrow corridors that can create strategic vulnerabilities for Bangladesh. These are —

The North Bangladesh Corridor

He tweeted: "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 rest of Bangladesh."

The first "chicken neck" involves the narrow stretch of Bangladeshi territory falling to the east of Dakhin Dinajpur in West Bengal, and to the west of South West Garo Hills district in Meghalaya — where Bangladesh's landmass narrows significantly to measure approximately 80 kilometers at its narrowest point, connecting its northern Rangpur region with the rest of the country.

The Chittagong Corridor

"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," the Assam Chief Minister shared.

The second strategic vulnerability of Bangladesh lies in the southeastern region around Chittagong, where Bangladeshi territory extends in a narrow projection sandwiched between the Indian state of Tripura to the north, and the Bay of Bengal to the south. This 28-kilometere-wide corridor connects Chittagong port (referred by Sarma as Bangladesh's economical capital as it handles most of the country's imports and exports) to its political capital Dhaka.

How could these chicken necks stifle Bangladesh?

The north Bangladesh and Chittagong corridor could present severe challenges for the country —

Military Vulnerability: As the Assam chief minister warned, these narrow corridors could potentially be severed during conflicts, isolating significant portions of Bangladesh from the rest of the country and from central command and supply lines.

Economic Dependency: Bangladesh is highly-dependent on the Chittagong port for its imports to the western countries, and any disruption of this port could make the country vulnerable to blockades affecting its trade and commerce.

Administrative Challenges: Now that Sarma has turned the spotlight, and the heat, on these geographical vulnerabilities of Bangladesh, in times of conflict it would require some effort on the Bangladeshi government's part to ensure uninterrupted governing and services systems to these chicken necks. These trips of land connected only via narrow passages could potentially present serious logistical challenges in times of conflict.

Lalmonirhat airport and the renewed focus on chicken neck

The 2017 Doklam standoff and China’s expansion of military infrastructure near the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction have shown the vulnerability of the chicken neck.

Now, China's growing influence in the region, including infrastructure projects in Bangladesh, especially after former president Sheikh Hasina's ouster in a student movement in 2024, has brought instability in India's neighbourhood.

Author and geostrategist Brahma Chellaney responded to Sarma's tweet, and wrote on X, "When India liberated Bangladesh in 1971, it let go of a historic opportunity to widen its vulnerable Chicken's Neck. It could have at least entered into a land swap agreement, ceding territory elsewhere in return for being allowed to widen Chicken's Neck."

Chellaney had noted that Bangladesh's plan to revive Lalmonirhat airbase — a British-era airstrip close to the Indian border — with Chinese assistance could have "significant implications for India's security".

He wrote on X, "An active Lalmonirhat airbase would greatly enhance China's ability to conduct aerial surveillance and reconnaissance on Indian military installations, troop movements and critical infrastructure, including in India's strategically vital Siliguri Corridor (Chicken's Neck). Any military presence or increased air activity near this corridor is a major concern for India, as its disruption would effectively cut off the Indian northeast from the Indian mainland."

He stated that in a conflict scenario, even if Chinese combat aircraft did not directly use Bangladesh's Lalmonirhat airbase, it could still serve as a logistical hub that would facilitate the movement of its personnel, equipment or intelligence assets in the region.
The Assam CM's comment must serve as a reminder to Bangladesh of its own geographical frailties, as disruption in any one of these 'chicken necks' could potentially delink its economic and political capitals or isolate its entire Rangpur division in the north from the rest of the country.