New Delhi: The Indian government has reacted strongly to a media report from the UK alleging a mix-up during the handing over of bodies of the Ahmedabad Air India crash victims to their families. India has said that all remains were handled with ‘utmost professionalism’.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India is working closely with the UK over concerns linked to remains of Britons who died in the tragic air crash.
“We have seen the report and have been working closely with the UK side from the moment these concerns and issues were brought to our attention,” he said.
Jaiswal also maintained that the identification of the Air India crash victims was carried out as per protocols and with ‘utmost professionalism’ by the concerned authorities, rejecting reports of any misidentification on the part of Indian authorities.
“In the wake of the tragic crash, the concerned authorities had carried out identification of victims as per established protocols and technical requirements. All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased. We are continuing to work with the UK authorities on addressing any concerns related to this issue.”
The Daily Mail reported on Wednesday that some families received wrong remains, forcing them to cancel funerals.
According to the report, one allegedly contained the body of an unidentified passenger; while in another case, commingled remains of multiple victims had to be separated before the burial.
“There are two such cases of bodies of strangers being sent to the UK and there are fears that more such cases could come forth,” the report states.
The media outlet also mentioned that a high-level probe is now underway in both London and India, with PM Keir Starmer expected to raise the issue with PM Modi during his upcoming visit to London.
Aviation lawyer James Healy Pratt, who is representing many of these British families, has said, “I’ve been sitting down in the homes of these lovely British families over the last month, and the first thing they want is their loved ones back.”
“But some of them have got the wrong remains and they are clearly distraught over this. It has been going on for a couple of weeks (and) I think these families deserve an explanation,” he said.
