Ramesh Ramasamy, Senior Lecturer in Geography at the University of Peradeniya, has stated that the Indian Dravidian (Malayagam Dravidian) population has declined significantly in the 2024 Population and Housing Census. He made these remarks during a meeting held at the Hatton C.S.C. Institute on 23rd November.
According to Ramasamy, when comparing the 2012 census with the 2024 report, the Indian Tamil population decreased by approximately 350,000 over 12 years. He also highlighted several shortcomings and errors in the latest census. Many people living within estate areas were not counted, and around 100,000 individuals in areas such as Gampaha and Kelamba were excluded. Some households were missed because officials found their houses closed during the census visit.
Despite the decline in the Indian Tamil population, the number of Sri Lankan Tamils reportedly increased. Ramasamy explained that in districts such as Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Kandy, Ratnapura, and Kegalle, some individuals were recorded as Sri Lankan Tamils based on their own reporting, without verification of whether they were Indian or Sri Lankan Tamils.
He also noted that during fieldwork, 115 families in one division of Shannon Estate, Hatton, were found to have been completely evicted and had not returned. Ramasamy suggested that similar evictions may have occurred in other estates as well, contributing to the decline in the Indian Tamil population.
