Tibetans with voter cards told to surrender refugee certificate

DHARAMSHALA : The police have asked Tibetan refugees holding Indian voter identification cards or passports to surrender their refugee certificates (RCs) by March 2.

The appeal had been made in a circular issued by the office of Kangra superintended of police (SP) Santosh Patyal across all Tibetan settlements in the district on February 3.

Copies of the circular have been sent to the Tibetan settlements in McLeod Ganj, Bir Tibetan Society, Nangchen Division, Dege Division and Tashi Jong Tibetan camp. Refugee certificates are issued by the ministry of external affairs (MEA) to Tibetans who come from China. It is their stay permit in India and needed to be renewed annually or after five years.

A large number of Tibetan refugees have obtained Indian citizenship by registering themselves as voters or by acquiring an Indian passport.

Around 1000 Tibetan refugees from Kangra district alone are said to have registered as voters and most of them have not surrendered their RCs.

“The possession of RC indicates their foreign status whereas the acquisition of Indian voter ID card enables them to prove their Indian identities, which have security implication,” the circular said. “Tibetans who have procured either Indian passport or voting card should relinquish their RC and identity certificate (IC- travel document equivalent to passport) issued to Tibetan refugees by the Indian government as a legal protocol,” it added.

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has also said to possess Indian passport or voting card along with the RC and IC issued to Tibetan refugees by the Indian government is illegal.

The Delhi High Court in a ruling, had directed the authorities to issue passport to eligible Tibetans. The court held that Tibetans born in India between January 26, 1950 to July 1, 1987 were Indians by birth.

The MEA initially complied with the orders but later imposed restrictions that Tibetans taking Indian citizenship will have to surrender their RCs and ICs, move out of Tibetan settlements and forgo benefits given by the government in-exile.

AROUND 1000 TIBETAN REFUGEES FROM KANGRA DISTRICT ALONE ARE SAID TO HAVE REGISTERED AS VOTERS AND MOST OF THEM HAVE NOT SURRENDERED THEIR RCS.