Key Points

Indian diaspora organisations have written to India's Home Secretary requesting urgent intervention to address bureaucratic obstacles preventing grieving families from repatriating their loved ones' remains to India.

The letter, sent by prominent advocacy groups including TEAM Aid and Jaipur Foot USA, highlights a growing crisis affecting Indian families worldwide when Indian citizens die abroad without their passports readily available.

The issue has intensified after Air India faced multiple fines from India's Bureau of Immigration, prompting the airline to adopt a strict policy refusing to transport human remains without the deceased's original passport-even when Indian embassies have issued No Objection Certificates (NOCs).

Other airlines have reportedly followed suit with similar policies, creating what advocacy leaders describe as a "deeply distressing and devastating situation" for bereaved families.

Prem Bhandari, chairman of Jaipur Foot USA, and Mohan Nannapaneni, founder of TEAM Aid, authored the letter to Home Secretary Govind Mohan outlining the humanitarian crisis.

TEAM Aid's Founder and President, Mohan Nannapaneni, along with his dedicated team of volunteers, has facilitated the repatriation of over 4,000 mortal remains from the United States, Canada, and Mexico to every state across India.

The organisations explain that passports often become inaccessible when individuals die abroad due to heart-wrenching circumstances. In cases involving accidents, suicides, or homicides, documents may be held by investigating officers for weeks or months. Immigration authorities sometimes retain passports in cases involving asylum seekers or visa violations, leaving families in agonising limbo.

"In several tragic cases, the deceased individual lives alone, and their passport is often inaccessible at the time of death," the letter states, painting a picture of isolated deaths far from home. Residences are sometimes sealed during investigations, making document retrieval impossible while families desperately wait to bring their loved ones' home.

The human cost of these policies is starkly illustrated in the case of Rahul Patel, whose tragic story has become emblematic of the crisis facing Indian families abroad.

"For over a week now, the tragic, untimely, and unnatural death of Rahul Patel has left his mortal remains stranded in a funeral home despite all documentation, including the NOC from the Indian Consulate, being in order," Bhandari said. "The only hurdle is the passport, stuck with customs in Chicago for the last three days, delaying its cancellation. No airline is willing to transport the body due to fear of penalties."

The personal toll on families is devastating. "Meanwhile, I receive calls at odd hours from the deceased's brother, Dilip Patel, from Gujarat every day whose family hasn't slept--desperately waiting to bring Rahul home," Bhandari added, highlighting the sleepless nights and anguish that define the experience of families caught in this bureaucratic maze.

Despite Indian consulates showing compassion by issuing NOCs that acknowledge missing passports, families face additional trauma when remains arrive in India. Airport immigration officials sometimes detain bodies for hours, citing the absence of original travel documents, creating further delays in an already agonising process.

"We used to occasionally ship human remains even when the original passport was unavailable, with the support of the Indian Consulate-issued No Objection Certificate (NOC)," says Nannapaneni. "However, due to recent penalties imposed on airlines by the Bureau of Immigration, carriers are now refusing to transport remains without an original passport. This has created heartbreaking challenges for grieving families who are unable to fulfill sacred religious rites and ensure a dignified final journey to their loved ones' homeland."

The advocacy groups note this heartbreaking scenario occurs "even after families have endured days of emotional turmoil and logistical challenges to bring their loved one's home."

Chief Advisor Prem Bhandari raises a fundamental question about the current system: "Indian Consulates, Embassies, and High Commissions issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the repatriation of mortal remains only after verifying the deceased's Indian nationality. Therefore, penalising airlines in such cases is neither understandable nor justified."

His words underscore the frustration felt by families caught between competing bureaucratic requirements while trying to honour their departed loved ones.

In light of this growing crisis, TEAM Aid's Chief Advisor, Prem Bhandari, has formally appealed to the Home Secretary of the Government of India, urging immediate intervention and a permanent resolution to protect and support Indian families in distress abroad.

The organisations are requesting a formal directive or circular to airport and immigration authorities across India, stipulating that valid embassy NOCs mentioning passport unavailability should be sufficient for releasing remains without further delays.

"We humbly request your intervention to streamline the process," the letter states with quiet desperation, emphasising that the issue "affects the dignity of the deceased and the sentiments of their families."

The groups describe the matter as a "critical humanitarian concern" requiring immediate government attention to support the Indian diaspora community, particularly the substantial population in North America.

For families already shattered by loss, the additional bureaucratic hurdles transform grief into a prolonged nightmare, denying them the closure that comes with performing final rites in their homeland.

- ANI