India has expressed serious interest in the development of an airport with Chinese investment in Lalmonirhat district under the northwestern Rangpur division of Bangladesh.

The construction site is about 70 km away from the strategically sensitive Chicken Neck (Siliguri Corridor) area. India has become suspicious that this airfield could be a possible military surveillance center after it was confirmed that a Chinese technical team visited the construction site recently.

The Siliguri Corridor connects the northeastern states, which are considered very important for India's security, with the rest of India. Narrow like a chicken's neck, the width of this corridor is only about 22 km . It also connects the eastern part of Nepal, the northern part of Bangladesh, the southern part of China and the western border of Bhutan. It is also known as Gateway of North East .

which connects sensitive states like Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura in the Northeast. The Indian newspaper "The Economic Times" wrote citing security officials that the construction of a large project with foreign involvement near such a sensitive area is a "headache" for India.

Indian officials suspect that India's military activities can be monitored from the airfield being built with China's involvement, there will be espionage possibilities and it can affect the security balance . The airfield is located near the Indian military headquarters (Sukuna) and the Hashimara airbase (where Rafale fighter jets are based).

There has also been talk of the Pakistani construction company's involvement in the construction of the airport. Which has increased more concern about the possible alliance between China-Pakistan-Bangladesh in India. Bangladesh has been claiming that this project is for civilian purposes. However, India's defense and intelligence agencies are becoming wary of its strategic implications.

After the downfall of Sheikh Hasina's power, India-Bangladesh relations have started to cool down. There is a rift between the two countries, from import-export trade to transportation services and people's movement.

India has recently banned the import of ready-made garments and food items via Bangladesh. Earlier, India had already started to crack down on the illegal immigration of Bangladeshi citizens. With the latest political changes, the distance between the two neighbors has started to increase.

This coldness in India-Bangladesh relations is directly related to China's growing involvement. 

The rapid expansion of Chinese investment and technical assistance projects in Bangladesh has raised security and diplomatic concerns in India.

As China's presence in strategically sensitive areas is increasing, India's uneasiness has started to be analyzed publicly. This indicates that India-Bangladesh relations may become more strained in the coming days.

India has started to tighten the security of the border area . The police administration under the West Bengal government has banned the sale of army fatigues in the districts of North Bengal and completely banned the use of unauthorized drones.

A joint exercise (multi-agency drill) of the security agencies has also started in the Siliguri corridor area . which aims to enhance the ability to respond to emergency situations .