India has a track record of treating refugees from Sri Lanka with kid gloves. A few weeks ago, a 44-year-old IT professional, who was born in Sri Lanka; brought up in India and is now residing in the United States, approached the Madras High Court to save himself from being declared “stateless.” On several occasions in the last five-six years, the High Court resolved the issue of “statelessness” in respect of many refugees who were covered under the 1964 and 1974 bilateral agreements and provisions of the Citizenship Act. In the case of the IT professional, the court directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to file a detailed counter affidavit and the Indian Embassy at Washington DC to keep in abeyance till then the operation of a notice issued to him to surrender his passport.
But, there were occasions when the Indian government acted tough and, at least once, went to the extent of deporting even a few prominent Sri Lankan Tamils. The deportation took place in August 1985 and the personalities involved Anton S. Balasingham, who became the best-known international face of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and S.C. Chandrahasan, founder of Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OfERR).
July 8, 1985 saw the commencement of the famous Thimpu talks – named after the venue of the event – between the Sri Lankan government and representatives of Tamils to find a political settlement to Sri Lanka’s ethnic crisis. Held at the initiative of the Indian government headed by Rajiv Gandhi, the talks were conducted in two rounds. They were represented by Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS), the LTTE and the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), all of which formed a bloc called the Eelam National Liberation Front (ENLF), apart from the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF).
S.C Chandrahasan in February 2018
| Photo Credit:
K. Murali Kumar
The talks, which came to an end on August 22, 1985, turned acrimonious at one stage and, in the words of the TULF secretary-general A. Amirthalingam, they had made “no headway.” Within a few days of the negotiations’ conclusion, Balasingham and Mr. Chandrahasan were served orders to leave the country within 48 hours. While the former was seen as one who had played “a major role” in calling for the termination of the talks, there was no clarity about the move to deport the latter.
In general, the operation was seen internationally as an attempt by India to exert pressure on the Tamil militants to arrive at a settlement with the Sri Lankan government. India was drawn into the Sri Lankan Tamil problem after the anti-Tamil riots erupted in the neighbouring country 43 years ago.
Anton S. Balasingham (centre) with LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran (right) during a press conference in April 2002
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives
Regardless of the motive behind the deportation, the move did not bring good name for the Congress government of Rajiv Gandhi. The reaction of the Sri Lankan government was positive. The then Information Minister, Anandatissa de Alwis, said “we are very happy that this has happened.” But, it was strongly criticised not only by the ENLF and the TULF but also Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu.
The TULF president, M. Sivasithamparam and Amirthalingam said they were “particularly distressed” that this had happened to the son of the late revered leader, S.J.V. Chelvanayagam. “Mr. Chandrahasan was compelled to seek refuge in India because of his political convictions and the personal danger he and his family had to face in Sri Lanka,” they said.
Then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru (second right) being greeted by S.J.V. Chelvanayagam (extreme left) in May 1955. A. Amirthalingam (second left) and Indira Gandhi (extreme right) are also seen
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives
On August 26, the veteran Janata leader Madhu Dandavate, who raised the issue in the Lok Sabha, contended that the deportation was violative of the U.N. convention on refugees and noted that the entire Tamil Nadu was against the action. The Speaker Balaram Jakhar was quick to point out to him that India was not a party to the U.N. convention on refugees, according to a report of The Hindu on August 27, 1985.
In the Upper House, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) founder Vaiko, who was then in the DMK, contrasted the treatment meted out to the Sri Lankan Tamil leaders with the asylum granted by India to the Dalai Lama. He welcomed the asylum granted to the Tibetan leader and felt that the political refugees from Sri Lanka should be treated on the same lines. Senior members of the House, M.S. Gurupadaswamy (Janata), L.K. Advani (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Mr. P. Upendra (Telugu Desam Party) supported the plea for allowing the deported Tamil leaders to return to the country.
S.C. Chandrahasan and his family (not seen in the picture) arrive at Meenambakkam Airport in Madras (now Chennai) on August 28, 1985
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives
Around the time when the operation evoked an intense debate in India, Mr. Chandrahasan was sent aboard a New York-bound Air India plane but on arrival, he declined an offer of entry into the U.S. The immigration authorities had decided to return him to India by the next available Air India flight.
In fact, Mr. Chandrahasan had a valid visa for multiple entry into the U.S. but he told the immigration authorities that it was issued to him in connection with a Congressional hearing on the Tamils’ situation in Sri Lanka and he did not want to “misuse” it to obtain entry, this newspaper reported on August 27. Two days later, he returned to Chennai, bringing the controversy to an end.
Published – July 22, 2026 06:30 am IST
