Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus opened a pandora's box when he said India's Northeast is landlocked and bragged that Dhaka was the "guardian of the ocean" for the region in March end. The fact that Yunus passed the remark during a visit to China made it even more controversial.
The incident brought attention to the Siliguri Corridor, which is 20km-wide at its narrowest. Often dubbed the Chicken's Neck because of its geographical shape, the corridor has Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim on its north and Bangladesh to its south.
To those who habitually threaten India on the “Chicken Neck Corridor”, should note these facts as well:
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 25, 2025
1️⃣ Bangladesh has two of its own “chicken necks”. Both are far more vulnerable
2️⃣ First is the 80 Km North Bangladesh Corridor- from Dakhin Dinajpur to South West Garo… pic.twitter.com/DzV3lUAOhR
On May 25, Himanta Sarma, the Assam chief minister, took a dig at Yunus, saying Bangladesh has two "Chicken's Necks", which make the country "far more vulnerable".
North Bangladesh Corridor
The North Bangladesh Corridor is an 80 km strip of land between West Bengal and Meghalaya. The narrowest points of the strip connects Dakshin Dinajpur district in West Bengal and South West Garo Hills district in Meghalaya. To the north of this strip lies Rangpur, a first-level administrative division of Bangladesh. The North Bangladesh Corridor separates Rangpur from rest of the country, making it a vulnerable choking point.
Bordered by West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya, Rangpur covers an area of more than 16,000 square km and has a population of around 1.76 crore people. Around 86.5 per cent of the population are Muslims while Hindus form 13 per cent and the rest are Christians and Buddhists.
Chittagong Corridor
The Chittagong Corridor is the second Chicken's Neck mentioned by Himanta. It is a 28km strip of land connecting South Tripura to the Bay of Bengal.
The corridor divides Bangladesh's Chittagong division into two halves. The northwestern part comprises six districts, including Brahmanbaria, Comilla, Chandpur, Lakshmipur, Noakhali and Feni. The southwestern part includes districts like Chittagong, Khagrachari, Rangamali, Bandarban and Cox's Bazar. This region is more vulnerable as it gets separated by the corridor and can be accessed only by sea.
Himanta said just like the Siliguri Corridor, Bangladesh has two narrow corridors. "I am only presenting geographical facts that some may tend to forget," the Assam CM pointed out.
On April 1, Himanta slammed Yunus over his remark, saying, "The statement made by Md Younis of Bangladesh, the so-called interim Government referring to the seven sister states of Northeast India as landlocked and positioning Bangladesh as their guardian of ocean access, is offensive and strongly condemnable."
