Indian by Heart, Stateless by Law: One Man’s Struggle Highlights Tamil Refugee Crisis

For 34-year-old web developer Bahison Ravindran , India was home in every sense: born in Tamil Nadu, educated locally, holding an Indian passport, and working like any other citizen. But in April, everything changed when he was suddenly arrested for allegedly holding a fraudulent passport. Authorities claimed he was not an Indian citizen by birth, as both his parents were Sri Lankan refugees who arrived during the civil war in 1990. Under a 1987 amendment to India’s citizenship law, children born after July 1, 1987, must have at least one Indian parent to qualify. Ravindran, born in 1991, didn't meet that criterion, and no one had told him that before.