MEA trashes British media report that 2 UK families received wrong bodies of victims of AI crash
New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI): India on Wednesday virtually trashed a British media report, which claimed that two grieving families in the United Kingdom received wrong bodies of the victims of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said all mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner of Air India crashed into a building shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad for London on June 12, killing 241 people on board and 19 others on the ground. One passenger survived the crash.
The victims included 53 British nationals.
"We have seen the report and have been working closely with the UK side from the moment these concerns and issues were brought to our attention," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"In the wake of the tragic crash, the concerned authorities had carried out identification of victims as per established protocols and technical requirements," he added.
Jaiswal was responding to media queries regarding a report in the "Daily Mail" on the Air India crash.
"All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased. We are continuing to work with the UK authorities on addressing any concerns related to this issue," he said.
The British newspaper, citing the versions of two unnamed families, claimed that the repatriation of the Britons killed in the crash has been "horrifically bungled".
Official sources said the Air India crash was a gruesome accident and identifying the body parts was a particularly complex exercise.
"In accidents of such nature, it is likely that the body tissues of different people get fused, which may lead to different results when making DNA analysis," one of the sources said.
The "Daily Mail" said bereaved families are suffering a fresh heartache because the "remains of their loved ones were wrongly identified before being flown home".
The relatives of one of the victims had to abandon the funeral plans after being informed that their coffin contained the body of an unknown passenger rather than their family member, it said.
The report even added that though two instances of mistaken identity have so far come to light, there are fears that more such errors could have been made.
Our response to media queries regarding a report in the Daily Mail on the Air India crash⬇️
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) July 23, 2025
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
