West Bengal's Home Minister, Buddhadev Bhaddacharya, told journalists that illegal infiltration from Bangladesh had assumed dangerous proportions and border fencing was one of several ways considered to stop it.

He said infiltration was threatening West Bengal's economy, social fabric and demographic pattern.

A 900km-long fence

West Bengal is planning to fence nearly 900km of its land border with Bangladesh.

Mr Bhaddacharya said nearly 600km of river and border between the two areas could not be fenced for obvious geographical limitations.

The two Bengali-speaking areas share a common language and culture, but religion divides them. Bangladesh is largely Muslim; West Bengal is largely Hindu.

West Bengal's left-wing government and the Awami League Government in Bangladesh, have long-prided themselves on the secular Bengali tradition they both seek to uphold.

Last year, the West Bengal Government was involved in a row with Hindu nationalists in Delhi and Bombay over the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh, arguing that they were all Bengalis.

Observers say that West Bengal now wants to deny the Hindu nationalist forces the mileage they reap from the infiltration issue, which is why it is trying to be seen as attempting to put a stop to it.