Six Bangladeshis, including three children, caught while trying to sneak back into their country after illegally visiting India, on Wednesday spent their seventh day on the border.

Without proper food and shelter, at least two children are ill. "They are totally dependent on Indian villagers for food and water," the Additional District Magistrate of South Dinajpur, Goutam Ghose, said on Wednesday.

The Border Security Force claims the six had entered India through the Hili border in South Dinajpur district, reportedly to visit Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan.

Last Thursday, the Bangladesh Rifles stopped them from reentering. Since then, the group has been stranded on the no-man's land near pillar number 284/50-S.

Though they have no passport or visa, the BSF claims there is ample proof that they are Bangladeshis, which the BDR vehemently denies. Last week, a flag meeting between the two forces failed to resolve the dispute over their nationality.

The incident comes within weeks of the controversy over 213 people who were stranded on the border for seven days. Bangladesh accepted them after a week of high drama and diplomatic manoeuvering.

Meanwhile, a Union home ministry report said that so far 1357km of the border with Bangladesh has fenced. Another 2429.5km will be fenced in the next four years, it said.

The government has so far spent Rs 231.90crore to fence the 1357-km stretch, spread over West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Mizoram and Meghalaya, which share their a border with Bangladesh.

India hopes the fence will stop illegal immigration from Bangladesh. Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani had said about 2 crore Bangladeshis have entered India illegally.

Efforts by the Indian authorities to identify and deport them has evoked sharp criticism from Dhaka, which denies its nationals are staying illegally in India.

Besides erecting the fences, India is also building metalled roads along the Bangladesh border of which 2539km has already been laid.