‘Chicken’s Neck Belongs to India, No One Can Touch It’: Amit Shah Warns Against Threats to Siliguri Corridor
Mumbai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday issued a strong warning against any attempt to question or threaten India’s territorial integrity, asserting that the Siliguri Corridor—commonly known as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ is an integral part of the country and cannot be touched by anyone.
Addressing a gathering of BJP workers in Bagdogra, Shah accused leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc of backing individuals who had allegedly raised slogans calling for the cutting off of the strategically crucial corridor.
“Some people sitting in Delhi shouted slogans about cutting the Chicken’s Neck corridor. How will you cut it? Is it your father’s land? This is India’s land, and no one can touch it,” Shah said, in a strongly worded attack.
The Home Minister claimed that those who raised the slogans were arrested by the Delhi Police and sent to jail. He further alleged that Members of Parliament from the INDIA alliance attempted to secure their release. “MPs from the INDIA alliance even went to the Supreme Court to argue for their bail. But in the end, truth prevails,” Shah added, noting that the apex court rejected the bail pleas.
Shah’s remarks come against the backdrop of a recent Supreme Court order in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The court denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, observing that the two were on a “qualitatively different footing” from other accused, with roles described as central to the alleged conspiracy.
While rejecting their bail pleas, the Supreme Court granted relief to five other co-accused—Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad. The bench noted that although the incarceration of Khalid and Imam had been prolonged, it did not override the statutory restrictions under the UAPA or amount to a violation of constitutional safeguards at this stage.
Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and several others were arrested in January 2020 in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy behind the communal violence that erupted in parts of northeast Delhi in February 2020.
The Siliguri Corridor is a narrow stretch of land, roughly 20–22 kilometres wide, located in West Bengal. It serves as the only land link between mainland India and the country’s eight northeastern states. Given its strategic and geopolitical importance, the corridor has long been viewed as vital to India’s national security and territorial unity.
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