A reported airspace incident over Sikkim is drawing attention to the sensitive border region near the Siliguri Corridor. An unnamed source told Outlook India that a Chinese military aircraft entered Indian airspace on the morning of November 12 and remained there for 20–25 minutes despite repeated warnings from the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Reported flight details remain incomplete
The source said the IAF detected the aircraft at around 8 am, at an altitude of approximately 25,000 feet. According to the report, the IAF repeatedly broadcast radio warnings asking it to return to Chinese territory, but the aircraft continued hovering over the area. Its type, exact flight path and departure time have not been disclosed.
The reported location overlooks the Siliguri Corridor, also called the “Chicken’s Neck”. The strip of land in West Bengal is about 20–22 km wide at its narrowest point and provides the sole land link between India’s northeastern states and the rest of the country. It is near the borders with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Sikkim is also close to the Doklam plateau, where Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a 73-day military standoff in 2017.
No detailed official confirmation reported
Outlook India said it had approached the IAF for comment and was awaiting a response at the time of publication. As of November 15, neither the IAF nor the Ministry of Defence had issued a detailed public confirmation or statement about the alleged incident.
The report prompted a response from the Congress party, which called the development “extremely worrying” and urged the government to lodge a strong protest with China. The party questioned the government’s response and said it hoped Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not give China a “clean chit.” No official government response to the alleged incident had been reported as of November 15.
Border mechanisms and verification
India and China have bilateral confidence-building measures, including the 1996 Agreement on Confidence Building Measures. These provide mechanisms for addressing alleged airspace intrusions along the border, including flag meetings and investigations. Previous reports have described Chinese military aircraft and helicopter activity near the Line of Actual Control in sectors including Ladakh and Uttarakhand, though the incidents differed in nature and official handling.
With no detailed official confirmation and key technical information still unavailable, the precise circumstances of the November 12 movement remain subject to verification by defence authorities. The report has nevertheless brought renewed attention to sensitivities along the eastern sector of the India-China border.
