Families of the victims from the tragic Air India crash still deal with profound anguish decades later. They were given 12 caskets repatriated from India to the UK, only to find that some of the caskets had misidentified remains. Shobhana Patel, 71, is among those affected. Her family was heartbroken to discover that her casket held the bodies of several people.
The crash, which killed all 52 British citizens aboard, was on a return trip to Britain from India. Shobhana Patel, 74, and her husband Ashok, 74, were part of that group of deceased after returning from a Hindu religious pilgrimage. Grief has deepened even after a preliminary report. This report goes one step further, disclosing that during the accident flight, the plane’s fuel switches had been manually moved to cut-off, further deepening concern over how the tragedy occurred.
James Healy-Pratt, a JAG UK legal representative from Keystone Law, is currently demanding justice for the families of the crash victims. He disclosed that of the 12 caskets returned to the UK, at least two were messed up and misidentified.
“We know that 12 caskets were repatriated from India to the UK. Of those 12, two had been mishandled, misidentified,” – James Healy-Pratt.
Among the names lost to the mistakes are Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, 39, and his husband Jamie, 45. At the time they crashed, they were on their way home after celebrating their wedding anniversary in India. On June 20, a match for Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek’s remains was verified. It was this discovery that resulted in the return of his empty coffin to the UK. July 26, line Amanda Donaghey, a family spokesperson, said police gave her the jarring news on July 5. They announced that DNA testing performed in the UK confirmed that his remains were not located in the coffin.
“We don’t know what poor person is in that casket. I had my doubts but to be told that was heartbreaking. This is an appalling thing to have happened,” – Amanda Donaghey.
The families of Greenlaw-Meek and his fiancé have arranged for a burial together. They are still struggling to process their grief and confusion over the identity of the remains they possess. We are very afraid that other mistakes could be made.” —Miten Patel, Shobhana’s son
“There may have been a mistake,” – Miten Patel.
James Healy-Pratt to highlight the urgency for transparency and concrete action about the ongoing repatriation process. Importantly, he noted that with the current sample size there is only power to detect a potential. At least 40 of the mishandled remains may be included in that broader total of 240 victims.
“The families are waiting to hear, first thing next week, about what actions are really being done in India to provide some degree of assurance,” – James Healy-Pratt.
Amanda Donaghey, as families wait for answers – and closure – Amanda has urged the UK government to act firmly and conclusively. She called on government officials to make sure that Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek’s remains are found and properly returned home.
“Donaghey urged the UK government to do everything in its power to find out what happened to Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek’s remains and bring Fiongal home,” – Amanda Donaghey.