Sri Lankan Tamils seeking Indian Citizenship

A panel was constituted by the Tamil Nadu Government to find durable solutions for short and long-term issues faced by the Sri Lankan Tamils living in and out of camps across the State. The panel has decided to undertake a survey to ascertain how many among them want Indian citizenship.

• Although 50% of camp population wanted Indian citizenship on grounds of their Indian origin and citizenship by birth for their children, the tag of ‘illegal migrants’ on Sri Lankan Tamils is acting as an obstacle in their legal demand for citizenship.
• Tamils from Sri Lanka in TN could be categorized under following categories — those who arrived after the signing of the Sirimavo-Shastri Pact and Sirimavo-Gandhi Pact, those who came after the War, those who arrived during the war between the Sri Lankan Government and rebel forces, and children of these persons, who were born in Tamil Nadu.
• According to a study by the Tamil Nadu government, as of July 1, 2021, there are 58,668 persons from 18,937 families living inside the refugee camps for Sri Lankan Tamils constituted by the Tamil Nadu government. There are 34,123 persons of Sri Lankan origin living outside the camp from 13,553 families. Granting them citizenship will allow them to enjoy all the rights enjoyed by Indian citizen and put an end to their misery.