In a historic move, five Bangladeshi refugees from relief camps in Sindhanur taluk, Raichur district, have been granted Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). This marks the first instance in Karnataka where citizenship has been awarded based on this legislation. The recipients include Ramakrishnan Abhikari, Advith, Sukumar, Bipradas Golder, and Jayant Mandal.
To date, 146 Bangladeshi refugees from these relief camps have applied online for Indian citizenship under the CAA. Pranab Bala, a lawyer and resident of the camps, reported that approximately 25,000 individuals have lived in these camps over the past 40 years, with 20,000 originating from Bangladesh and 5,000 from Burma (now Myanmar). The camps were established in 1971 following the Liberation War that led to Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan, and subsequent internal strife in Burma also contributed to the refugee influx.
The relief camps accommodate 932 families, including 727 from Bangladesh and 205 from Burma. The recent citizenship grants followed a petition submitted by former BJP MP K Virupakshappa during a visit by Prime Minister Modi to Sindhanur. The petition requested citizenship for certain immigrants and additional services for the relief camps. A district-level review committee later evaluated and recommended citizenship for the selected refugees.