Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday, 18 July claimed that the Siliguri Corridor — the strategically critical stretch also known as the Chicken Neck Sector — is transitioning from what he described as a corridor of infiltration under the previous All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime into a zone of reinforced border security. Shah made the assertion in a social media post following a hands-on inspection of the surveillance infrastructure at the Border Out Post (BOP) of the 19th Battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF), located under the North Bengal Frontier.

Key Developments During Shah's Visit

The Home Minister chaired a high-level border security meeting in Siliguri, Darjeeling district, with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in attendance. The meeting focused on tightening security along the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, particularly in North Bengal, to curb illegal infiltration and crack down on cross-border smuggling networks.

Shah also laid the foundation stone for and inaugurated development projects cumulatively valued at ₹77.06 crore. During the visit, he reviewed border fencing arrangements, inspected a watchtower, planted a sapling, and joined BSF personnel for high tea.

What the Government Said

Shah stated that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government has significantly increased the number of watchtowers along India's borders and equipped them with state-of-the-art surveillance technology. He argued these measures have made border security 'stronger and impregnable,' though independent verification of infiltration data was not provided during the visit.

His remarks were directed squarely at the TMC, framing the Siliguri Corridor's past security lapses as a legacy of the previous state administration — a charge the TMC has consistently denied.

Itinerary and Administrative Scope

Shah arrived in Siliguri on Friday night and completed four consecutive engagements through Saturday. He is scheduled to travel to Kolkata on Saturday night for a full-day administrative programme on Sunday. Officials confirmed that all events during this West Bengal visit are administrative in nature, with no political rallies or party events on the schedule. Shah is expected to return to New Delhi on Sunday afternoon.

Why the Siliguri Corridor Matters

The Siliguri Corridor is one of India's most sensitive geographic chokepoints — a narrow strip of land connecting the northeastern states to the rest of the country, flanked by Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. Its proximity to the international tri-junction makes it a perennial focus of security planners. This visit comes amid broader Centre-state tensions over border management in West Bengal, where the BJP-led Centre and the TMC-led state government have frequently clashed on law enforcement priorities.

With assembly elections in West Bengal on the horizon, the Centre's visible push on border security in the state carries both administrative and political weight, even as officials insist the visit is strictly non-partisan.