Parents Devastated as Son’s Body Flown to India for Cremation is Sent Back to UAE After Govt Order

New Delhi: Kamlesh Bhatt's parents are distraught.

The 23-year-old Indian who was working in Abu Dhabi died last week of a cardiac arrest. What followed was a struggle by his relatives to get his mortal remains home. But to no avail.

Bhatt was a native of Tehri in Garhwal. His remains were flown to India this week, but were sent back to the UAE within hours after immigration authorities refused his relatives permission to receive them, according to a report by ETV Bharat.

Bhatt’s relatives said that on April 23, the remains of three Indian passport holders were brought back to India. However, the fight which carried them -- Etihad EY 9809 -- soon flew back after a new circular was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, according to which the body could not be received in India.

The deceased's relatives were just about to reach the airport and receive Bhatt's remains -- hoping to soon hold their son's last rites -- when they were informed of the new order.

They said that the staff at the cargo terminal told them that the body could not received in India due to the order.

But they were even refused a copy of the circular in question. "They just gave me a number of MHA which was not working," Manish Uniyal, Bhatt's maternal uncle, told ETV Bharat.

Vimlesh Bhatt, cousin of Kalpesh, said that this was a clear lack of coordination between the two ministries.

If the Indian Embassy had given permission for the body to be flown back, he said, then no branch of the GOI should later dissallow it.

Vimlesh had arranged a special pass to come from Dehradun to Delhi and receive his cousin's body.

He put light on the turmoil of Bhatt's parents. He said that its not enough that their son died in UAE, but that his mortal remains could not be received by them despite having reached India, due to some circular.

Vimlesh said he felt scared to convey the heartbreaking news to his cousin's parents; who were eagerly awaiting their son's last remains.

Bhatt's relatives said the Indian embassy in UAE did not have information about Bhatt's death. The family received a call about his death on April 17 only from the HR department of his company.

According to Vimlesh, the family had to contact a local social worker there to arrange for a post mortem and get an NoC from the Indian embassy to get the body back.

A source in the Ministry of External Affairs told ETV Bharat that they were trying to ascertain with the embassy about the protocol to be followed in such cases.

The issue pertained to the Home Affairs Ministry, as the bureau of immigration took care of such cases, the source added.

Home Affairs Ministry sources, according to the report, said the issue had already been relayed to top officials.