Key Points

Chairperson of the panel Shashi Tharoor, MP, later said the committee heard insights of "four first-class experts".He said the panel was told that the number of Bangladeshis coming to the country has come down.

"You will see our report in the next few weeks... We didn't discuss (the issue of Bangladeshis living in India). But we were told about a figure that the number of Bangladeshis coming to our country has lessened now," he said.

India-Bangladesh ties have seen some strain in the recent past.

India on Thursday condemned the demolition of a Durga temple in Dhaka, criticising the role of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and projecting it as a case of illegal land use.

At a weekly media briefing on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, the extremists were clamouring for demolishing the Durga temple in Khilkhet, Dhaka.

"We understand that extremists were clamouring for demolishing the Durga temple in Khilkhet, Dhaka.

The interim government, instead of providing security to the temple, projected the episode as illegal land use allowing ... and they allowed the destruction of the temple. This has resulted in damage to the deity before it was shifted. We are dismayed that such incidents continue to recur in Bangladesh. Let me underline that it is the responsibility of the interim government of Bangladesh to protect Hindus, their properties, and religious institutions," Jaiswal said.

The decision of the authorities has been condemned by several minority organisations.

Earlier in May, India imposed restrictions on the entry of Bangladeshi ready-made garments (RMG) and other products through its northeastern land ports -- Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram -- and Fulbari and Changrabandha in West Bengal, following controversial remarks by Bangladesh's interim chief advisor Muhammad Yunus.

During a speech in China, Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Yunus had described India's northeastern states as a "landlocked region with no access to the ocean." This comment has sparked diplomatic friction, with Indian officials viewing it as undermining the region's connectivity and status.

The new restrictions has forced Bangladesh to reroute exports -- including Ready-Made garments (RMG), plastics, melamine, furniture, juices, carbonated drinks, bakery items, confectionery, and processed foods -- through Kolkata port in West Bengal or Nhava Sheva port in Maharashtra, increasing logistics costs.

- ANI