Why a passport may not prove you're Indian
Key takeaways
- A passport controversy has reignited debate over how citizenship is proven in India, with voter-list revisions exposing systemic gaps and raising fears of wrongful exclusion.
- Most people voted, obtained passports, enrolled in welfare schemes and went about their lives without having to demonstrate that they belonged in the country in which they were born.
- Former diplomat Veena Sikri notes that the Ministry of Home Affairs — not the MEA — has the sole authority to grant and determine citizenship.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
A passport controversy has reignited debate over how citizenship is proven in India, with voter-list revisions exposing systemic gaps and raising fears of wrongful exclusion.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GJi9India's passport is a travel document and not proof of citizenship, says the country's Foreign Ministry Image: Tetiana Chernykova/Zoonar/IMAGOAdvertisement For decades, Indian citizenship was rarely questioned. Most people voted, obtained passports, enrolled in welfare schemes and went about their lives without having to demonstrate that they belonged in the country in which they were born. That assumption is steadily changing.
Last week, a senior official of India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the Indian passport is primarily a travel document and should not be treated as a conclusive proof of citizenship, according to Indian media reports. Legally, that distinction is not new.