Sodha Rajputs barred from their culture, beliefs and family by Indian government [ Umerkot, Pakistan]

[ Reported as seen]

The Indian government in its recent decision to blacklist almost 900 Sodha Rajputs from Pakistan has left the fate of these Hindu minorities in jeopardy.

Hindu tradition forbids Hindus from marrying inside their own gotra (ancestral lineage), which the Sodha Rajputs also follow. The Sodha Rajputs have been visiting India for decades, particularly Gujarat and Rajasthan, in search of marital alliances for their children. This is why nearly every member of this group has a marital linkage to Gujarat or Rajasthan.

The majority of those on the blacklist are Sodha Rajputs from the Parmar Kshatriya clan, who live in Umarkot, Pakistan. Amarkot is the princely state of the Sodha Kshatriyas in Pakistan, commonly referred to as Umarkot. Most of these Kshatriya families have kinship ties in India, particularly in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

The Kuldevi (ancestral deity in Hinduism) of the Sodha clan is Hinglaj Mata also known as Hinglaj Devi, Hingula Devi and Nani Mandir, a Hindu temple in Hinglaj, Pakistan. It is a Siddha Shaktipeeth of Hindus. After marriage, the Sodha Rajput’s children travel to Pakistan to worship their Kuldevi Hinglaj Mata. In the same way, married Hindus in Pakistan travel to Rajasthan to offer prayers to their Kuldevi.

The recent decision has put the Sodha Rajputs in a deadlock. It has increased in the last 4-5 years after the central government has stopped issuing visas to them in the last 4-5 years. The central government is of the opinion that these Pakistani Hindu nationals come to India and stay on even after their visa expires.

The Sodhas argue that the 30 or 40-day city-specific visa granted by India is insufficient for their needs. Marriage preparation takes time, as it entails many visits to the potential bride’s or bridegroom’s family, as well as lengthy wedding ceremonies. They also maintain that they do not stay in the country illegally and instead apply for visa extensions.

Due to this visa policy adopted by the Indian government for the last five years, several such Sodha Rajputs have not been able to attend marriages or funerals of their loved ones back in India.There are many other such families being kept apart by the visa issue.

Shakti Singh Sodha is also one of the many such Sodha Rajpuyts. He lives in Umerkot in Pakistan. He is the only brother to his four sisters, who are married in Rajasthan, India. For years, Shakti Singh Sodha has not been able to meet his sisters. He claims that he has been applying for a visa for many years, but every time the Indian embassy in Pakistan has been rejecting his application.

Back in 2017, he got a visa extension through the local foreign resident registration office (FRRO). He now wants to go again but he is being refused a visa on grounds of overstaying last time.

Similarly, there are many such families who are missing out on family functions or even the last rites of their loved ones living in India. Visa issues are also keeping brides and grooms apart.

Rana Hamir Singh, the last Hindu royal of Sindh, in an interview with OpIndia said, ““For decades, our people have married people from other Kshatriya clans in Rajasthan and Gujarat,” Rana Hamir Singh remarked. After the partition, the Rajputs of Sindh in Pakistan must now travel to Gujarat and Rajasthan in India.

Rana Hamir Singh further said that the Sodhas of Pakistan’s Sindh state’s Tharparkar, Umerkot, and Sanghar districts, which border Rajasthan’s neighbouring districts, come to Rajasthan not only for marital alliances but also for their religious and cultural beliefs associated with their ancestors.

In fact, in 2007, the Congress government chose to extend the period of the Sodha Rajputs’ visas from 40 days to six months, in response to their issues. The then-Governor of Rajasthan, SK Singh, who was also the High Commissioner to Pakistan, had granted Sodha Rajputs a six-month visa extension.

“SK Singh had been Ambassador to Pakistan and was a very dear friend of my father Rana Chandra Singh ji,” says Rana Hamir Singh Sodha. I had suggested that they provide our workers with the option of extending their visas, keeping in mind their problems. As governor, SK Singh ji had granted his quick approval,” recalled the 26th generation Sodha royal, the erstwhile rulers of Umerkot.

The Hindus of Pakistan were granted a 10-year visa extension under the Congress regime, which was valid until 2017. They didn’t have to travel to Delhi to extend their visas during this time, and they could only receive them via the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).