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 mortal remains of veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and former Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan were brought to his hometown of Alappuzha on Wednesday for the public to pay their last respects.
Responding to media queries regarding a report in the Daily Mail on the Air India crash in Ahmedabad last month, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that all mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the decea
VS Achuthanandan was the Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. He was also the longest-serving opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly, holding the position for 15 years.
The Indian Embassy in Niamey is in touch with the local authorities to repatriate the mortal remains of those killed and ensure safe release of the abducted Indian.
The mortal remains of a woman student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College, who died after attempting self-immolation, were brought to her native place in Balasore for the last rites.
The DNA samples of 251 victims in the Air India plane crash have been identified, and the mortal remains of 245 victims have been handed over to the concerned families as of Sunday evening.
A week after the Air India plane crash, the DNA samples of 231 victims have been matched and the mortal remains of 210 passengers have been handed over to the concerned families as of Friday evening.
Speaking to reporters, Joshi said, "215 DNA samples have been matched, of which the mortal remains of 198 deceased have been handed over to their families...Of the 198 deceased, 149 are Indian nationals, seven Portuguese, 32 British and one Canadian."
In a post on social media X, Patel wrote "UPDATED UP TO :- 19/06/2025, 8:30 a.m. NO. OF DNA MATCH - 210 NO. OF RELATIVES CONTACTED- 210 NO. OF MORTAL RELEASED- 187 Remaining Mortal remains will be handed over soon."