Damak, April 5:

People of the Santhal community of Korobari VDC in Jhapa are overjoyed after getting Nepali citizenship certificates.

They celebrated the event by organising feasts and dancing. Members of the citizenship certificate distribution team also danced with them.

Pointing out that some Santhals migrated to India after they could not get citizenship certificates in the past, Doba Soren at Korobari said, “We could not get the certificate despite several attempts in the past. However, this time we were given the certificates easily.”

People of the Santhal community gathered today with traditional bands at the place where the citizenship certificate was being distributed. They urged the chief of the citizenship certificate distribution team Keshavraj Oli to dance with them and he obliged.

“They danced and made merry after getting the citizenship certificates. The certificates were given only to genuine aspirants,” Oli said. The team deployed at Korobari VDC from March 29 has distributed a total of 1,439 citizenship certificates. Of these, 503 certificates were distributed to Santhals, Oli said.

“Now I feel truly like a citizen of Nepal,” Harnmai Tudu said, adding that most of Santhals of his tole have received the certificates.

“Though we faced the problem of ascertaining the correct date of birth of Santhals, the certificates have been given to the right persons,” a member of the distribution team Komal Khatiwada said.

Some 26,000 Santhals are living in the southern part of Jhapa district, general secretary of the Nepal Santhal Adibasi Utthan Association Laxman Soren said, adding that some 4,000 Santhals migrated to India as they could not get the certificates in the past.

According to a study carried out by Good Governance Himali Youth Club (Lakhanpur) a year ago, 174 households of Santhals migrated to India from Mahabhara, Korobari, Maharanijhoda and Gauradaha.