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India’s national security establishment is closely monitoring developments in northern Bangladesh, where the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus is reportedly planning to revive the long-dormant Lalmonirhat airbase with Chinese assistance. Located just 135 kilometres from the strategically critical Siliguri Corridor—India’s narrow lifeline to the Northeast—the move has raised concerns in New Delhi.

 

Although the project is being publicly framed as part of broader infrastructure and economic development, Indian intelligence and strategic analysts suspect it could serve to expand China’s footprint in the region under the guise of civilian cooperation.

 

The Siliguri Corridor, also known as the “Chicken’s Neck,” is a narrow strip of land—barely 20–22 km wide at points—that connects mainland India to its northeastern states. Sandwiched between Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and lying perilously close to China, the corridor houses critical highways, railways, and defence infrastructure.

 

 

“Any foreign military or intelligence presence near this corridor, especially involving China, poses an immediate risk to India's territorial integrity and logistical backbone. The proposed revival of the Lalmonirhat airbase, just across the border from West Bengal and uncomfortably close to this corridor, is viewed by New Delhi as a potential surveillance and staging point for Chinese operations,” said an official of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

 

Originally built by the British in 1931, the Lalmonirhat airbase was abandoned after World War II. It saw brief civilian use in the 1950s and was later earmarked by Sheikh Hasina’s administration as the site of an aviation and aerospace university. Under the interim regime led by Yunus, however, the emphasis has reportedly shifted towards restoring its aerial operational capabilities—an approach believed to be influenced by Chinese interests.

 

Also read: Yunus threatens to quit, protests may shake Dhaka again

 

Recent reports suggest Chinese and Pakistani ISI officials have been shown the area around Rangpur, deepening suspicions that a strategic axis may be emerging along India’s eastern frontier.

 

“India’s concern is not limited to the Lalmonirhat airbase alone. According to diplomatic sources, Yunus proposed during his March visit to China that Bangladesh serve as Beijing’s ‘economic pasture’, encouraging Chinese control over Bangladeshi ports and suggesting that Beijing target India’s northeast as an economic hinterland,” said the MEA official.

 

Yunus is believed to have told Chinese officials that India’s landlocked northeastern states could be economically influenced if China dominates Bangladeshi infrastructure. He proposed that Chinese-controlled ports and trade routes in Bangladesh could handle the import and export operations of the region, thereby drawing India’s Northeast into Beijing’s economic sphere.

 

“India has repeatedly demonstrated its unwillingness to tolerate any security threats near the Siliguri Corridor. The 2017 Doklam standoff, where Indian forces stood toe-to-toe with the Chinese PLA for 73 days, is a clear signal that Delhi is prepared to respond robustly to protect this vital corridor,” the MEA official added.

 

The Indian defence establishment has in recent years showcased rapid-response capabilities through drills such as Operation Sindoor and retains the capacity to neutralise any infrastructure that could pose a national security threat—regardless of its stated civilian intent.

Also read: Bangladesh cancels diplomat’s Kolkata posting after 'Qurbani' row

 

While the Yunus administration maintains that the Lalmonirhat project is purely civilian, Indian analysts caution that dual-use infrastructure can be quickly repurposed for military functions. Chinese technology embedded in communication, radar, or surveillance systems at the site could enable real-time monitoring of India’s most sensitive logistics hub.

 

Given ongoing border tensions with China, particularly along the Himalayan frontier, New Delhi is unwilling to take any such developments lightly.

 

Yunus has also reached out to Nepal and Bhutan, advocating the formation of an integrated economic region comprising those countries and India’s Northeast. Although presented as a framework for regional cooperation, Indian officials view this as a strategy of influence that could further isolate or destabilise the Northeast.

 

Supporters of Yunus in Bangladesh have grown increasingly vocal about “reorienting” regional ties with India’s Northeast. While not yet an official position, such sentiments are being noted with concern in New Delhi.

 

“The revival of the Lalmonirhat airbase is not just a local development; it is a geostrategic signal. India is watching closely. Any attempt to infringe upon the Siliguri Corridor’s security, or to use neighbouring territories as tools for strategic leverage, will be met with a decisive response,” said an Indian intelligence officer based in Bangladesh.