When the announcement came on February 4 that stateless minorities had finally won the right to a British passport, some 90 Indian citizens made the rash move of renouncing their Indian passports. They did not realise that the bill requires strict definitions of who is eligible and at what cut-off point eligibility ends.
Unfortunately, the local Indians were confused by the announcement and as a result had chosen to possess only the BN(O). For years, people had been giving up their Indian passports in favour of the BN(O). But those who did this after February 4 are now stuck.
Ravi Gidumal of the Indian Resources Group (IRG) says they were advised not to renounce their passports. He hopes that they will be able to get them back and that the Indian government will treat them sympathetically. However, according to Indian consul-general Veena Sikri, it is unclear whether India would welcome them back.
Meanwhile, the now stateless 90 are lying low as their new position leaves them incredibly vulnerable.
