EXCLUSIVE: No more ‘ambiguous’ response, India warns Dhaka, sets up 3 military garrisons near border
Security personnel of India and Bangladesh during the Joint Retreat Ceremony, at Land and Customs Station Fulbari on the outskirts of Siliguri | PTI
With sudden disquiet and unease over recent actions by Bangladesh that India sees as “betrayals of goodwill”, given India’s proactive contribution to the liberation and creation of Bangladesh in 1971, India has decided to end the era of “ambiguous responses” and warning that acts undermining India’s security will be met with a firm response.
As an indication of this new strategic posture, three operationally ready military garrisons along the Indo-Bangladesh Border at Bamuni (near Dhubri), Kishenganj (in Bihar) and Chopra (in West Bengal’s West Dinajpur), have been set up to buttress security in the Siliguri Corridor or the Chicken’s Neck, a narrow sliver of land connecting India’s northeast region with the mainland.
A top source in India’s security establishment said the move is specifically aimed at safeguarding the “so called vulnerability and also to provide multiple options for the Indian Armed Forces”. Besides enhancing surveillance, the move will allow the Indian military to mount “rapid response capabilities in the North Eastern frontier.”
Of late, there have been reports of Pakistani security officials taking undue interest in the Siliguri Corridor. On October 25, 2025, during a meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s interim leader had presented a book to Pakistan’s military chief that included a map depicting portions of India’s North Eastern region as part of a “Greater Bangladesh.”
The incident is a turning point that India’s future actions will be “clear, confident and forceful”, to reaffirm that its sovereignty is upheld as an inviolable virtue, the source pointed out. At the same time, the Indian position is reiterative of “a policy of constructive engagement with all neighbours” while maintaining firm commitment to its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The new posture is indicative of an assertive and self-confident India, where patience should not be mistaken from any perspective, the source added.
India’s new comprehensive border strategy combines assertive diplomacy, infrastructure upgrades, and military preparedness—demonstrates that any challenge to sovereignty will be met with resolute and effective countermeasures.
Defence