India says passport is travel document, not proof of citizenship

The Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that an Indian passport is a travel document issued under the Passports Act, 1967, and does not by itself establish citizenship. A spokesperson emphasized that fewer than 8 % of Indian citizens hold a passport. The clarification came amid the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which has heightened debate over which documents can prove citizenship. Opposition parties have criticized the government, arguing that the lack of a definitive citizenship document could allow rights to be denied arbitrarily.

The Ministry stressed that while passports are issued only to Indian citizens, they identify nationality for departure purposes and are not intended as proof of citizenship for the SIR exercise.