Islamists’ Dream Of Choking Chicken’s Neck Corridor To Cut Off Northeast India Can Come True, Thanks To Complete Demographic Change

The dream of radical Islamists to cut off Northeast India from the rest of the country by choking the vulnerable ‘chicken’s neck corridor’ of North Bengal can come true, thanks to complete demographic change in the entire region. 

This ‘corridor’--the northern part of Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district and southern part of Darjeeling district--buffeted by Bangladesh to its east and the overwhelmingly Muslim-majority Kishanganj and Purnea districts of Bihar to its west is highly vulnerable. 

Radical Islamists have for long been advocating the choking of this corridor. This plan was well-articulated by Islamist Sharjeel Imam (watch this video) during the anti-CAA agitation. 

In fact, say senior officers of central intelligence agencies, the plan to cut off the chicken’s neck corridor is part of the bigger ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ (Islamist takeover of India) goal. 

The plan to achieve this objective was set in motion many decades ago with the largescale influx of illegal Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh into Bengal, especially North Bengal, and Assam.

The narrow ‘chicken’s neck corridor’ was, till even three decades ago, determinedly Hindu-Majority. But unchecked infiltration of lakhs of Bangladeshi Muslims and (in recent years) of Rohingyas has completely altered the demographic profile of the region. 

Along with this corridor, all districts of North Bengal and Assam that border Bangladesh have become Muslim-majority, thanks to the largescale influx of Muslims from Bangladesh and Myanmar (the Rohingyas). 

In fact, these Muslim infiltrators who enjoy the patronage of the ruling Trinamool Congress in Bengal, have started settling down in pockets of the Gorkha-dominated hills of Darjeeling and neighbouring Sikkim as well. 

“This demographic change in vast parts of North Bengal has become an acute issue and poses a grave and existential threat to national security. Many reports outlining this threat have been submitted by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and other agencies to the Union Government over the past couple of decades,” a former joint director of IB told Swarajya. 

The Union Government is, however, helpless since the infiltrators enjoy the patronage of the Trinamool Congress in Bengal. The earlier Left Front government in Bengal used to extend the same patronage to them. 

“These infiltrators are a huge vote bank for the ruling party in Bengal. That’s why the state government gives them documents on the basis of fake credentials to prove their Indian citizenship. The Union Government has no power to act against anyone possessing genuine documents like ration cards, Aadhar cards or voter ID cards even though it is widely suspected that these documents are issued on the basis of fake claims and credentials,” a senior officer attached to the Internal Security (IS) division of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told Swarajya. 

These Islamist organisations have been organising large congregations of Muslims in the ‘chicken’s neck corridor’ and adjoining areas of Bengal and in Bihar to radicalise the populace. 

Radical Islamist speakers have been addressing such congregations and sowing anti-Indian sentiments among the people. 

“The radicalisation starts from the madrassas and masjids. Salafi imams and teachers have been preaching the radical version of Islam and this has turned a majority of the Muslims in the region ultra-conservative and sympathetic to Islamist terror outfits. The Bengal government has been alerted many times and asked to monitor the activities of radical Islamists. But nothing has been done,” said the MHA official. 

A number of videos of radical Islamists inciting Muslims of North Dinajpur and Darjeeling districts to revolt against the Indian state and indulge in subversive activities have surfaced in recent months. 

“The Muslims living in this area--all of them illegal infiltrators or descendants of infiltrators from Bangladesh and Myanmar--are being told they should assert themselves against India which persecutes Muslims. They are being told that they are in a majority in that region and have to wield force to defeat the Indian state and help establish Islamic rule. Many speakers from Bangladesh have been advocating the merger of this region with Bangladesh,” said the former IB officer. 

Central intelligence agencies fear that at an opportune time, a revolt by restive Muslims of the area will be triggered by cutting off vital rail and road links that pass through the corridor. 

“The Islamist blueprint for choking the corridor will include attacks on government installations and security forces and declaring the corridor as a liberated zone. The masterminds behind this know that a harsh retaliation by the Indian state is inevitable, and such a retaliation will result in a  lot of bloodshed. That is also part of their plan because it will then result in international attention being focused on the Muslim-majority region. The Muslims will then play the victim card and seek intervention by other powers,” the IB officer explained. 

An IB officer warned that this is not a fanciful plan but a very realistic one. “As per the blueprint of the Islamists who advocate Ghazwa-e-Hind, crucial moves like launching subversive anti-Indian activities in the ‘chicken’s neck corridor’ by disrupting communications and attacking and destroying vital installations will be activated an an opportune time when India will face internal or external threats. The calculation is that at such times, the government cannot utilise all the power at its command to neutralise the revolt in the corridor. Prolonged trouble in the corridor may then invite intervention by external powers and international attention and can result in the corridor being severed from India,” said a serving deputy director of the IB.

“It is not just the Muslims living in the chicken’s neck corridor who will revolt as per the plan of the Islamists. Their co-religionists living in Kishanganj and Purnea districts of Bihar, who are also infiltrators or descendants of infiltrators from Bangladesh, will also join in the revolt and all of them will get ready support from Muslims living next door in Bangladesh. This is a diabolical plan that will imperil India’s integrity if we continue to ignore the threat,” said the retired IB officer. 

Security and defence experts say that the Union Government needs to draw up a comprehensive contingency plan to ward off this grave security threat. The Bengal government will, likely, refuse to align itself with this plan; such a refusal must be met with strong punitive measures and unilateral action on the part of New Delhi.