India’s failure to protect Tamils sent back from Sri Lanka

Dear reader,

It has been 40 years since Kamaraj S bought the piece of land that he lives on. And yet, the threat of being uprooted still looms over him.

Kamaraj is a Tamil repatriate. He was born in Sri Lanka, to an Indian family that had travelled to work on the island country's tea estates. After India and Sri Lanka gained independence, the two countries argued over the fate of these Tamil workers. Finally, they agreed that some would return, while some would remain in Sri Lanka. Kamaraj was among those who returned, in 1984.

He settled his family in the hilly Nilgiris district. It was only years later that he learnt that the plot that he had bought was categorised as "Section 17 land", part of around 80,000 acres of land with a complex history, and an indeterminate ownership status. 

Under the 1969 law that maps out these categories, Kamaraj and thousands of other repatriates in the Nilgiris were deemed illegal occupants of their lands. Decades later, they still live in fear of being evicted.

Johanna Deeksha reports on the precarious existence of those who returned from Sri Lanka, hoping for a more secure life in India. You can read the story here.

Our archive of Common Ground stories is here. You can support more such in-depth and investigative journalism with a contribution to the Scroll Ground Reporting Fund.

Ajay Krishnan
Senior Editor

Write a comment ...

Common Ground, Scroll.in

Show your support

Your support is crucial: India needs independent media and independent media needs you.

Recent Supporters

Write a comment ...

Common Ground, Scroll.in

Pro
In-depth reporting on the stories that bind us.