Washington, D.C. [US], July 26 (ANI): Advocacy groups are urging streamlined procedures after airlines reportedly refused to transport mortal remains without original passports, creating distressing delays for bereaved families.
Indian diaspora organizations have written to India’s Home Secretary requesting urgent intervention to address bureaucratic obstacles that prevent families from repatriating the remains of loved ones to India.
The letter—sent by prominent groups including TEAM Aid and Jaipur Foot USA—highlights a growing crisis affecting Indian families worldwide when citizens die abroad without their passports readily available.
The issue intensified after Air India faced multiple fines from India’s Bureau of Immigration, prompting the airline to enforce 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 adopted similar policies, creating what advocacy leaders describe as a “deeply distressing and devastating situation.”
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, and his team of volunteers have helped repatriate over 4,000 mortal remains from the United States, Canada, and Mexico to every Indian state.
The organizations explained that passports often become inaccessible due to tragic circumstances. In cases involving accidents, suicides, or homicides, documents may be held by investigating officers for weeks or months. Immigration authorities may also retain passports in cases involving asylum seekers or visa violations, leaving families in painful limbo.
“In several tragic cases, the deceased individual lives alone, and their passport is often inaccessible at the time of death,” the letter states, describing how residences may be sealed during investigations, making document retrieval impossible as families wait to bring their loved ones home.
The human cost of these policies is starkly illustrated in the case of Rahul Patel, whose death has become emblematic of the crisis.
“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,” said Bhandari. “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 is immense. “Meanwhile, I receive calls at odd hours from the deceased’s brother, Dilip Patel, from Gujarat every day—his family hasn’t slept—desperately waiting to bring Rahul home,” Bhandari added.
Despite Indian consulates showing compassion by issuing NOCs in cases of missing passports, families often face additional trauma when remains reach India. Airport immigration officials have reportedly detained bodies for hours due to the absence of original travel documents, creating further delays in an already agonizing 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),” said 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 groups stress that these scenarios occur “even after families have endured days of emotional turmoil and logistical challenges to bring their loved one’s home.”
Chief Advisor Prem Bhandari raised a fundamental concern: “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, penalizing airlines in such cases is neither understandable nor justified.”
In light of the growing crisis, Bhandari has formally appealed to the Home Secretary of India, urging immediate intervention and a permanent resolution to protect Indian families in distress abroad.
The organizations are requesting a formal directive to airport and immigration authorities across India, clarifying that a valid embassy-issued NOC acknowledging passport unavailability should be sufficient to release remains without delay.
“We humbly request your intervention to streamline the process,” the letter states, emphasizing that the issue “affects the dignity of the deceased and the sentiments of their families.”
The advocacy groups describe the situation as a “critical humanitarian concern” requiring immediate government attention to support the Indian diaspora community, especially in North America.
For families already shattered by loss, the added bureaucratic hurdles prolong grief into a nightmare, denying them the closure that comes with performing final rites in their homeland.
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