Govt clarifies return of bodies to India allowed

Ishita Mishra & Yogesh Kumar TNN

Dehradun/New Delhi  26.04.2020

A day after immigration officials at Delhi airport returned the body of Kamlesh Bhatt, a 24-year-old man who had died of a heart attack in Abu Dhabi, citing a ministry of home affairs (MHA) order that prohibited receiving of any such “cargo” from outside India, the MHA on Saturday released an office memorandum on the issue by its foreigners division (immigration section) that said “…immigration functions in respect of arrival of dead bodies and mortal remains of Indian nationals/OCI (overseas citizens of India) cardholders are permitted subject to strict adherence to guidelines/instructions issued by various ministries and government departments related with management of Covid-19 and submission of no objection/ approval/ concurrence from ministries of health & family welfare and external affairs in this regard.”

A detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) for “importation of human remains of Covid-19 patients/ suspects” meant for immigration officials, was also issued.

The central government’s clarification on the issue came even as a petition was filed during the day in the Delhi high court by Bhatt’s cousin seeking repatriation of the mortal remains of his relative at the earliest. The additional solicitor general, representing the Union government, submitted in the court that “it was a unique case and the central government was in the process of framing SOPs so that in future there is no difficulty in similar matters.” The matter has now been listed for hearing on April 27.

Bhatt, who was working at a hotel in Abu Dhabi, had died on March 17.

(With inputs from Rohan Dua)

Immigration officials at Delhi airport had returned the body of 24-year-old Kamlesh Bhatt who had died of a heart attack in Abu Dhabi on March 17