Indian family receives wrong body after mix-up in UAE
Abu Dhabi, July 14 : A bereaved Indian family in Kerala, grappling with the untimely demise of their relative in the UAE capital, has received someone else's body in a shocking mix up.
Nidhin Othayoth Kottaron, 29, died last week in Abu Dhabi. But instead of receiving his body, the Keralite family received the body of Kamatchi Krishnan, 39, hailing from Tamil Nadu, the Khaleej Times reported on Saturday.
A relative of deceased Kottaron said the family realised there was a mix up when the coffin arrived in Kerala on Friday on an Air India flight.
"His (Kottaron) parents were desperately waiting for the mortal remains since one week. They are still in a state of shock on what happened," said the relative.
Both Indian expats died two days apart but it was not clear how the mix up happened at the mortuary where both the bodies were kept, the report said.
Kottaron who was working as a site supervisor in Ruwais was found dead on July 5, while Krishnan reportedly died on July 7. The cause of death for both cases was not confirmed.
The body of Krishnan is currently kept in the mortuary at a government hospital in Kottaron's native place in Wayanad, awaiting relatives.
An Indian Embassy official said they were doing everything possible to help the families. "We are not sure how this unfortunate incident happened. Our first priority is to support the families by expediting the repatriation of the body, which is still in the mortuary."
"We had already issued required documents for repatriation. Now because of the mix up, we are coordinating with the relatives to issue a duplicate set of documents for repatriating Kottaron's body.
"Our officials at the Tamil Nadu branch Secretariat of the Ministry of External Affairs are trying to get in contact with the family members of Krishnan. Once procedures are cleared locally, they can collect the body from Kerala," the official said.
Ranjan Dutta, Air India Manager for Abu Dhabi and Al Ain sector, said: "Kottaron's body was supposed to be sent on Air India's Calicut-bound flight on Friday and Krishnan's remains were booked on an Etihad flight to Chennai on the same day. A relative of the deceased was travelling with the body. It was a human error while embalming that caused the mix up."
He said that they were awaiting clearance from the concerned authorities. "Once the documents are ready, Air India will extend full cooperation to repatriate the mortal remains at the earliest," said Dutta.
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Human-wildlife conflict: Karnataka minister calls for sterilisation of select species
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister Eshwar Khandre on Wednesday said that rising human-wildlife conflict has created a need to consider sterilising specific species, and that the issue should be publicly debated.
He clarified that no decision has been made so far and that discussions will be held with officials and stakeholders.
"There is an increase in the number of select wildlife. In my opinion, putting some curbs on their numbers is necessary due to increased conflicts, loss of lives, and urbanisation. So there is a proposal to conduct sterilisation surgery or vaccination on select wildlife," Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment said.
Speaking to reporters, he added that no list has been prepared yet and that he plans to hold discussions on the matter with senior officials.
Noting that a related issue is pending before the Supreme Court, the minister said there are plans to submit a proposal after due deliberation.
"We intend to protect wildlife while ensuring that human lives are not lost. No decision has been made yet; it is still under consideration. In areas with a high number of wildlife, we are thinking about controlling it for a year or two. Other states are considering similar measures. There is a need for public debate on this," he added.
Khandre also said the government is seriously considering the voluntary relocation of forest dwellers who wish to move out of the forest. He has asked officials to prepare a list of those willing to relocate.
"Once the list is ready, I will discuss the required funding with the chief minister (Siddaramaiah), who also serves as Finance Minister, and the government will make a decision. Relocating forest dwellers will expand wildlife habitats and integrate those living without basic facilities into mainstream society," he said.
Expressing grief over the death of a coffee grower in Kodagu district due to a wild elephant attack on Wednesday, the minister said the government and the department are making every effort to prevent human-elephant conflict and assured that the government stands with the bereaved family in this difficult time.
"The government had planned to build a sanctuary to address the problem of elephants. There are some difficulties in obtaining permission from the central government. Once this is resolved, action will be taken to establish the sanctuary," he added.
