New Delhi: The Indian government on Saturday officially dismissed social media reports claiming the creation of a new Union Territory near the strategically sensitive Siliguri Corridor.

The Fact Check Unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) issued a formal statement labelling the viral claims as "fake" and "baseless." The rumours, which gained significant traction across X and WhatsApp over the last 48 hours, suggested that the Centre was planning to carve out a new administrative zone by merging districts from West Bengal and Bihar to bolster national security.

“No such proposal is under consideration by the Government of India,” the PIB stated in its alert. Officials urged the public to rely only on official government channels for administrative announcements and warned against the viral spread of misinformation concerning territorial boundaries.

The Siliguri Corridor, often called the "Chicken's Neck," is a narrow 22-kilometre stretch of land in West Bengal that serves as the vital land bridge between mainland India and its eight northeastern states. Flanked by Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, the corridor has long been a focal point of India's national security strategy.

Security analysts noted that the timing of the rumours coincided with increased regional focus on border infrastructure and the government’s "Viksit Bharat" initiatives. While the government has recently reinforced military garrisons and surveillance in the region to counter evolving geopolitical threats, officials clarified that these measures involve defence readiness rather than redrawing internal maps.

"The integrity of state borders remains unchanged," said a spokesperson from the Ministry of Home Affairs, who requested anonymity. "Strategic reinforcement is a continuous process, but it does not equate to administrative restructuring."

The government has advised citizens to use the PIB Fact Check portal to verify any suspicious claims involving national policy or internal security.