After establishing three new Army bases in an arc covering West Bengal, Bihar and Assam to protect the strategically sensitive Siliguri Corridor, also known as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’, the Indian defence authorities are now exploring the possibility of setting up a fourth Army station in Mizoram, government sources said.
As part of the Indian Army’s broader plan to reinforce defensive measures around the narrow corridor that connects the Northeast with the rest of the country, Eastern Command General Officer Commanding (GOC) Lieutenant General R C Tiwari undertook a day-long visit to Thuampui near Aizawl on Friday.
According to sources, Lt Gen Tiwari’s visit aims to assess and identify potential locations in Mizoram where an Army battalion, drawn from a brigade under the Dimapur-based 3 Corps, could be stationed. The proposed deployment is intended to serve as a first line of defence against any aggressive actions by the Bangladeshi state or non-state actors.
Lt Gen Tiwari was accompanied by 3 Corps GOC Lt Gen Abhijit S Pendharkar and 17 Mountain Strike Corps GOC Lt Gen Yash Ahlawat. During the visit to Thuampui, the senior commanders were briefed by senior officers of the Assam Rifles and the Border Security Force (BSF), in the presence of other Army officials.
The delegation also visited two key border outposts—Parva and Silsuri—along the India-Bangladesh border.
Following the field visit, the Eastern Command Commander is expected to confer with the two GOCs and participate in a detailed presentation by Army and Assam Rifles officers after returning to Agartala.
Silsuri is a large village located in the West Phaileng block of Mamit district, while the BSF’s Parva border outpost is situated in Lawngtlai district of southern Mizoram. Notably, Parva lies close to the tri-junction of the India-Bangladesh and India-Myanmar borders, adding to its strategic importance.
In parallel with the Army’s efforts, the BSF has drawn up long-term plans to construct several inland defensive structures near sensitive areas close to defence installations in Bangladesh. These include bunkers, ‘ring bundhs’ — temporary or permanent artificial embankments — blast-proof shelters and underground armouries across three battalion command areas under the Silchar and Mizoram frontier.
Ministry of Home Affairs sources said these “critical infrastructures” have been prioritised based on operational sensitivity, threat perception and vulnerability. The constructions are planned over the next five years, with 45 bunkers, embankments, blast-proof shelters and underground armouries proposed in each of the three battalion areas in the Cachar and Mizoram frontier.
There are currently 85 BSF border outposts (BOPs) along the India-Bangladesh border in the Mizoram sector. The objective is to transform these BOPs into composite, future-ready operational hubs. Officials said that 40 such structures have already been completed in the Lunglei and Lawngtlai districts of Mizoram.
In addition, work on 19 similar structures has been sanctioned, though timelines for completion remain unclear. It is proposed that at least 26 BOPs will be equipped with all four critical defensive structures over the next five years.
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