India Responds to Report of 'Wrong Bodies' Sent After Air India Crash
India reacted to a devastating UK media report exposing significant errors in the identification of British victims of the Air India Flight 171 crash. The June 12 crash in Ahmedabad was tragic, with 241 of the 242 on board and 19 on the ground killed. Fifty-two of the victims were British nationals. It has now emerged that at least two UK families were sent the wrong remains, which has led India and Britain to initiate a joint investigation.
The Indian government has stated that it was working closely with UK officials to set right the problem. It comes at a time when PM Narendra Modi is on a high-profile trip to the UK.
The row broke out after the Daily Mail ran a shocking report on July 16. It came out that two British victims' remains were misidentified and sent back home. Families of one of the victims in the UK were said to have cancelled funeral arrangements after realising the body inside the casket was not that of their kin.
In yet another profoundly disturbing instance, remains of several crash victims were "commingled" and put in the same coffin. These were separated before burial last weekend. The mistakes only surfaced after the Inner West London coroner insisted on DNA confirmation of the repatriated corpses.
Indian external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that the country is aware of the reports and has been in close touch with UK authorities. "We have seen the report and have been working closely with the UK side from the time when these issues and concerns were raised before us," he said.
Randhir Jaiswal also said the identification process followed “established protocols and technical requirements.” He added that all mortal remains were handled “with utmost professionalism and due regard for the dignity of the deceased.”
The timing of the report adds an extra layer of sensitivity to the matter. Prime Minister Modi is going to be in the UK on July 23–24 for a series of meetings with British PM Keir Starmer and King Charles III. As per the Daily Mail, Starmer will press the issue during his meeting with Modi.
The major highlight of the trip is supposed to be the signing of a much-awaited free trade agreement. But this glaring and preventable mistake now taints the diplomatic trip.
Both India and the UK have initiated high-level inquiries into how the process of identification went so awry. In Britain, coroner-level audit and DNA profiling made it possible to identify the mistakes. Indian authorities are now facing tough questions as to how the mishandling could take place under rigid post-crash procedures.
The accident has reopened issues regarding crisis management, procedures in identifying bodies, and coordination at the international level in air crashes. The victims' families are seeking accountability and transparency. As questions progress, the emphasis is on rebuilding trust and making sure such failures never occur again.
