The strategically vital Siliguri Corridor — a narrow strip of Indian territory known as the Chicken’s Neck — connects India’s northeastern states to the mainland and runs along Bangladesh’s northern border. Just south of it sits Thakurgaon, a remote northwestern district of Bangladesh. That proximity gives the border district a distinct weight in regional geopolitics. It has also yielded an unusual succession of influential politicians across different periods of Bangladesh’s national life.
Thakurgaon also plays a key role in regional water politics. Several rivers cross from Panchagarh into Thakurgaon and continue through Dinajpur to other districts, making the Teesta barrage integral to the district’s agricultural economy.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the current minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives, who is also the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s secretary general, hails from the district. So did the late Ramesh Chandra Sen, a former minister of the now-banned Awami League. In the Pakistan era, the district’s most powerful politician was Alamgir’s father, Mirza Ruhul Amin.
Though it sits on the country’s northwestern fringe, Thakurgaon has long punched above its weight in national politics. Mirza Ruhul Amin won two consecutive terms in the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly, serving from 1962 to 1966. After Bangladesh’s independence, he held the agriculture, social welfare, and fisheries and livestock portfolios in Bangladesh’s cabinet. His son, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, has served as BNP secretary general for a decade and was state minister for agriculture and for civil aviation and tourism from 2001 to 2006. Alamgir was also politically active before independence, joining the street protests against President Ayub Khan.
The late Ramesh Chandra Sen served as water resources minister from 2009 to 2013. He later sat on the presidium of the now-banned Awami League’s highest policy-making body and on its advisory council, and chaired the parliamentary standing committee on the water resources ministry.
Asked about Thakurgaon’s political legacy, Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told Bonik Barta: “The people of this area have always been politically aware. During British rule, they played a major role in the Tebhaga movement. Key figures such as Gurudas Talukdar, Hajee Mohammad Danesh and Baccha Munshi were central to that struggle. Leftist politics once held considerable sway in the district. The area also contributed to the Liberation War — an uprising broke out here. Thakurgaon remained free until April 14.”
On the post-independence political line, Alamgir said: “After independence, those who dominated the scene included Khademul Islam of the Awami League. After his death, Ramesh Chandra Sen rose to prominence. Even before that, Fazlul Karim served as MP and governor. My father was originally in the Muslim League. He then chaired the municipality for about 25 years. After independence, during Ziaur Rahman’s era, he joined the BNP. He won a parliamentary seat in 1978 and later became a minister.”
Thakurgaon borders Panchagarh to the north, Panchagarh and Dinajpur to the east, and India’s West Bengal to the west and south. The sensitive border area has seen repeated push-in attempts by India’s Border Security Force (BSF). Three of the district’s seven upazilas — Ranisankail, Baliadangi and Haripur — share a direct border with India.
The latest incident occurred on the night of June 5, when BSF tried to push 11 people, including women and children, into Bangladesh at Haripur’s Mashalgaon border. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) foiled the attempt. BGB sources said BSF moved the group near pillar 349/7-S in the Mashalgaon border outpost area around 3:30 am. A BGB patrol team rushed to the spot, identified the group and blocked their entry into Bangladesh.
After the incident, BGB intensified patrols and surveillance in the border upazilas. Local villagers also volunteered to stand guard. Forty-eight hours later, BSF removed the 11 people, including a pregnant woman and children, from the zero line where they had been held.
On the district’s geopolitical position, Alamgir said: “Panchagarh is the district closest to India’s Siliguri Corridor — the Chicken’s Neck. Thakurgaon’s border aligns with West Dinajpur and nears the Bihar frontier. That proximity unquestionably carries geopolitical weight.”
Thakurgaon’s geographical significance became apparent under British rule. An airfield was built there in 1940, whose main runway stretched three kilometres, serving both civil and military purposes. During the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the Indian air force strikes badly damaged the runway.
The district ranks among the country’s most productive agricultural zones. It yields vast quantities of rice, wheat, maize and potatoes each year. Commercial fruit production — particularly mango and lychee — has diversified the local agricultural economy. The north-western district also contributes to fisheries and livestock.
Discussing the district’s economy, the local government minister said: “Our area is overwhelmingly agricultural. There’s little industry or commerce, with only a sugar mill and some modest rice mills. But a university and a medical college have now been approved. These will certainly play a major role. If we can raise education levels and support farmers, the district’s economy can gain momentum. There’s also the airfield built during World War II. Putting it to work could inject some pace into the economy. A railway line exists which could be better utilised.”
Thakurgaon also holds significance for transit and trade. Historically, the district has been viewed as a potential hub for India–Bangladesh transit and economic integration. Its location could prove central to expanding regional trade between the two countries and revitalising both economies.