Goa, July 25 -- VITHALDAS HEGDE

Former Telaulim sarpanch Francisco Zacarias Goes finds him self trapped in an unusual legal lim bo. A holder of a Portuguese pass port and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, Goes now wishes to re claim his Indian citizenship. But con flicting legal requirements in India and Portugal have left him caught in a bureaucratic deadlock. Portuguese authorities are reluc tant to accept the renunciation of citizenship since it could temporar ily leave an individual "stateless". Indian authorities, meanwhile, insist that citizenship cannot be restored until documentary proof of renun ciation of the applicant's foreign nationality is submitted, as required under the prescribed procedure.

Speaking to O Heraldo,...