Fifteen Indian nationals residing in Sri Lanka without valid visas have been deported to Chennai, India, for violating immigration and emigration regulations.
The group had entered the country using free tourist visas issued at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake. Investigations revealed that some had been working as carvers, while others were involved in religious group propaganda in the Jaffna region.
Two individuals from the group had planned to hold a religious conference for disease healing in Mathagal, Jaffna, on March 5 and 7. However, Hindu nationalist organizations in the area staged a protest against them, leading to their arrest and subsequent deportation on March 8.
Additionally, eight Indian nationals employed as carvers at a sawmill in Jaffna, along with five others working in restaurants, were also arrested and deported to Chennai from Palaly Airport on the same day.
