Descendants of repatriates demand caste certificate

Sullia Taluk SC/ST Tamilians’ Welfare Association President Deiva Kumar said that the descendants of repatriates from Sri Lanka settled in Sullia and Puttur taluks are being denied caste certificates by the revenue department.

On the recommendations of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the State government should pass an order to issue caste certificates to the descendants of repatriates.  Addressing a press meet here on Monday, he said the descendants of repatriates from Sri Lanka who are settled in Tamil Nadu possess the caste certificates. “We have not got any caste certificate even though our community figures in the SC list of the neighbouring Tamil Nadu state.”

The State government has been stating that it has constituted a high power committee to look into the issue of issuing caste certificates to the descedants of repatriates. The committee should include the representatives from the association as well, he said. 

He said that there are over 30,000 repatriates in the Dakshina Kannada district who ought to be given the SC certificates but have been refused by the local revenue authorities. 

“The problem of denial of certificates began only in 1992. Citing one reason or the other, none of the descendants of the repatriates have been given the certificates since then.

We were given the caste certificate for education purpose from1992 to 2002. However, after 2002, even for education purpose, we are not getting the caste certificate. We are denied of all the reservation facilities. We have been facing the problem for the last 20 years,” Deiva Kumar  said.

He said his parents who were among those who were repatriated from Sri Lanka under the bilateral agreement signed between India and Sri Lanka. 

As many as 988 families had come to Sullia and Puttur in 1969. 

As part of the rehabilitation programme, the repatriates were provided employment in government plantations. Accordingly, they are settled down in the colonies of Karnataka Forest Development Corporation.