No fly zone, no ship route in Bay of Bengal and a big strategic signal from India!

New Delhi/Kishanganj. DRDO has issued a notification for missile testing in the Bay of Bengal between 17 and 20 December 2025, under which no fly and no ship zone of 2520 km will be in force from 6 am to 6 pm daily. This area is much larger than the 1480 km test area conducted in October, indicating testing of a long-range missile. Not only this, this step of India is also being said to be very important in the strategic context regarding Bangladesh. Especially in view of the threat to regional stability after Bangladesh’s increasingly audacious statements, it is also being linked to India’s strategic preparations. Linked to Bangladesh’s statements regarding Siliguri Corridor, this situation is also linked to the sensitivity of Bangladesh’s ‘Chicken Neck’ Rangpur Corridor and Chittagong Corridor.

missile test or strategic message

Experts are saying that for security reasons, the Indian Air Force and Navy will monitor the entire area, so that no civilian aircraft or sea ship is harmed during the test. At the same time, it is being said that it is a big step taken by India at the strategic level. NOTAM was issued for a 2520 km long area in the Bay of Bengal due to which neither any aircraft will fly through that route nor any ship will be able to pass at the scheduled time. This decision has come at a time when there is a situation of political and institutional instability in the neighboring countries Pakistan and Bangladesh. The burning of the Election Commission office in Bangladesh and the court martial of former ISI chief Faiz Hameed in Pakistan are further increasing the sensitivity of the entire region.

India has issued NOTAM (Notice to Airmen/Air Mission) for up to 2520 kilometers in the Bay of Bengal. (File photo/PTI)

‘Chicken Neck’ Background, Bangladesh Factor

In the politics of South Asia, geography has always been not only a boundary line but also a symbol of power and insecurity. Relations between India and Bangladesh are still considered friendly, but in recent times, the way Bangladesh has created mistrust due to the changing geopolitics of Pakistan, China and international corridors has rekindled this debate. Let us tell you that for India, while the Siliguri Corridor is the vein of its sovereignty, these two corridors of Bangladesh are its geographical unity and economic lifeline, hence the question is not only who is more in danger – but how the strategy of the region changes in the coming years.

Rangpur and Chittagong: Choke-points of Bangladesh

In fact, the entire controversy started when in May 2025, Bangladesh’s temporary chief Mohammad Yunus indirectly cited China’s support by describing India’s Siliguri Corridor as weak. In response, Assam CM Himanta Sarma shared the map of Bangladesh and put forward two narrow corridors – North Bangladesh Corridor (80 km) and Chittagong Corridor (28 km). He claimed that if geopolitical tension increases, then these two choke-points of Bangladesh are in a more sensitive situation than the Siliguri Corridor of India.

DRDO missile test and India-Bangladesh strategic tensions. If the two corridors of Bangladesh are cut, 39% of the land will be separated.

Changing South Asian Geopolitics

The world knows about India’s Siliguri Corridor i.e. ‘Chicken Neck’. This is a 20-22 kilometer wide narrow strip of land that connects the main part of India to the north-east. But, after the statement of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, it is being discussed that Bangladesh also has two such territories which are much thinner and strategically weaker than India. Sarma’s statement has given rise to a new controversy on geo-strategy, media and social platforms. At the same time, today we know what these two narrow corridors or chicken neck of Bangladesh are called. Although no official name has been given by the governments, social media has already given them a kind of geopolitical identity.

Rangpur Corridor: ‘Northern Neck’ of Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s first corridor connects Rangpur division in the north with the rest of the country. Informally it is called ‘Rangpur Chikan Neck’, ‘Garo Hills Neck’ or ‘Dinajpur Corridor’. Many maps and comparisons regarding this have gone viral on social media. The width of this strip, which is about 80 kilometers long, remains only 10-15 kilometers at many places. This land is adjacent to South Dinajpur of India and South West Garo Hills of Meghalaya, which further increases its sensitivity. If ever this part gets disrupted due to geopolitical tension then the entire Rangpur region can be cut off from the country. This is the same region where rice and jute are produced extensively and which form an important part of the agricultural economy of Bangladesh.

Analysis of Bangladesh’s two chicken neck corridors with statement by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Chittagong Corridor: ‘Eastern Neck’ of Bangladesh

The second corridor is in the south-east and is now being called ‘Chittagong Chicken Neck’ or ‘Feeni Neck’. It is only 28 kilometers long. At some places its width remains less than 18 kilometers. Its importance is greater because it connects Dhaka to the port of Chittagong. Let us tell you that this port handles 80% of the total export-import of Bangladesh. This region is adjacent to South Tripura, India and this geography makes it a sensitive military choke-point. The Feni river and hilly structure located here further limit it. If this corridor ever gets blocked, Chittagong port could be cut off from the country and Bangladesh’s economy could be deeply hurt.

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Himanta’s statement and new turn in geo-politics

This whole controversy started in May 2025 when Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus, while commenting on India’s Siliguri Corridor, said that this area could come under the influence of China. In response to this, Sarma, while sharing the map, said – The two chicken necks of Bangladesh are much weaker than India. Strategic experts believe that these corridors certainly show geographical weakness, but due to the 1972 Friendship Treaty between India and Bangladesh and the recent border agreements, the possibility of them becoming a real conflict zone is very less. But now that Bangladesh has shown its attitude, India also wants to keep its strategic preparations in good shape. This is the reason why there is uneasiness in Bangladesh due to India’s announcement of no fly zone in the Bay of Bengal.