India, April 8 -- The reactivation of the Katchatheevu issue following allegations that the island was "callously" given away by the Congress government of Indira Gandhi to Sri Lanka in 1974 has brought into sharp focus the history of this dispute between India and Sri Lanka. That dispute is embedded in the ecosystem of the Palk Straits and involves ethnic Tamils living on both sides of the international maritime boundary line (IMBL).

That the island now lies on the Sri Lankan side of the IMBL arouses spirited opposition within the political spectrum in Tamil Nadu. The late chief minister (CM) and AIADMK leader, J Jayalalithaa in a fiery speech made while unfurling the national flag from the ramparts of Fort St George in Chennai on Augus...