The government of the Indian state of West Bengal says it intends to erectfences along its border with neighbouring Bangladesh to prevent illegal immigration.

The state home minister Buddhadev Bhaddacharya said infiltration by migrants from Bangladesh had assumed dangerous proportions and threatened West Bengal's social fabric and economy.

The BBC correspondent in Calcutta says that although West Bengal and Bangladesh share a common language and culture, they are divided by religion.

Bangladesh is largely Muslim, while West Bengal is mainly Hindu.