Daijiworld Media Network - Abu Dhabi (SHP)

Abu Dhabi, Apr 26: Indian ambassador to the UAE Pavan Kapoor has expressed disappointment regarding the return of the bodies of three Indians from New Delhi to Abu Dhabi.

The mortal remains of the three Indian nationals, identified as Kamlesh Bhatt, who passed away on April 17, and Sanjeev Kumar and Jagsir Singh, who both died on April 13, had been flown to Delhi on Thursday April 23, but promptly returned to Abu Dhabi by the authorities.

The three had died of non-coronavirus causes.

Expressing his disappointment, Kapoor asserted that the three deceased Indian nationals did not pass away due to coronavirus and that the bodies that were flown to Delhi on Thursday should not have been ideally returned by authorities there.

In a report by the Gulf News, Kapoor was quoted as saying, “We are appalled at what has happened. We do not know if the bodies were returned because of coronavirus-related restrictions, but we are obviously not sending the remains of people [who have passed away from COVID-19]."

"[As we understand], it happened because of new protocols at the airport and we are trying to sort it out," he said. "The remains were not offloaded from the plane, and were sent back a few hours later," Kapoor explained.

As per the reports released by Indian media, Kamlesh Bhatt (23) from Tehri Garhwal district allegedly died of cardiac arrest. Along with the remains Kumar and Singh, Bhatt’s body was initially repatriated on an Etihad Airways flight, then sent back, even though his relatives had been on their way to collect them.

Explaining the procedure of repatriating mortal remains of a deceased worker, Kapoor mentioned that it was a job typically handled by the worker's employer who would make arrangements with cargo companies on cargo aircraft.

The employer applies for a no objection certificate (NOC) from the Indian Embassy, which is granted once the Embassy ensures that all local formalities have been completed. The cargo company then applies for airport clearance, and the airline obtains approvals from the receiving airport.

"If airport protocols have changed, it means cargo companies have to be more careful about the clearance they are getting," Kapoor advised.

Referring to the additional costs incurred in repatriating mortal remains, Kapoor said that it was only wise to go ahead after new concerns which have recently arisen were addressed.

The pandemic has put the repatriation of mortal remains under strain as the travel restrictions imposed are even affecting the ones who have passed away due to non-coronavirus problems.

Earlier on Friday, the Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan reached out to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for intervention in bringing back the bodies of Keralites who have died in the Gulf from non-COVID-19 causes, the report by Gulf News stated.

"I would like to draw your attention to the grievances received from Non-resident Keralites Associations (NRKs) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on the delay caused in bringing home the mortal remains of NRKs who had expired due to reasons other than the COVID-19 infection," read the letter by the CM.

"It is learnt that a ‘clearance certificate’ from the Indian Embassies is required to process the application of bringing home the mortal remains of the dead. The Embassies are [further] insisting on the production of a NOC from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), New Delhi. To enable to bring back the bodies of the NRIs whose deaths occurred due to reasons other than COVID-19 infection, without necessary procedural hassles, I request your kind intervention," Vijayan requested.