Citizenship matters: Stalin receives interim report

A panel constituted by the Tamil Nadu government to find durable solutions to the Sri Lankan Tamils’ short- and long-term issues living in and out of camps across the State submitted its interim report to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the Secretariat.

The interim report has explored ways of granting Indian citizenship to Sri Lankan nationals living in the State and made certain recommendations in this regard.

“We have submitted an interim report to the Chief Minister, outlining key recommendations on durable solutions to the issues of Sri Lankan Tamils living in Tamil Nadu and legal pathways towards citizenship.

“We have made the recommendations after studying the data collected from the camps over the past two years and assessing the evolution of jurisprudence in this regard,” Manuraj Shunmugasundaram, Legal Expert-Advisory Committee, told The Hindu.

According to a source that accessed the report, the panel has made recommendations, including pathways to citizenship, steps towards their integration into Indian society in Tamil Nadu, and a repatriation package.

The report makes a strong case for about 5,000-odd Tamils of Indian origin (who were taken to Sri Lanka by the colonial British to work in tea plantations).

It explores options of citizenship for those often identified as Sri Lankan Tamils.

“The Indian-origin Tamils have a strong case as they left India only a hundred years ago and the three pacts signed between India and Sri Lanka — including the Sirimavo Bandaranaike-Lal Bahadur Shastri Pact and the Sirimavo Bandaranaike-Indira Gandhi Pact — favor Indian citizenship for them. As for Sri Lankan Tamils, they have been grouped into about six categories, depending on how they entered India and explored options for each category,” the source said.