The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said a report claiming that 150 corpses of people from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were lying in Saudi Arabian mortuaries was “factually misleading”. Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup told IANS, “In reality, there are only about 10 cases that pertain to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.” He added that the hold-up in bringing back the mortal remains of these people to India was because of procedural delays.
Swarup said that there were two million expatriate Indians in Saudi Arabia and three to four deaths of such citizens by natural causes were registered every day. “Most cases are “clear” cases in which, as per the local norms, it takes around three weeks to send mortal remains, even if the documents are in order,” he said, adding that in case of unnatural deaths, the investigation procedure is lengthy.
Earlier, media reports had said that families of at least 150 people from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have been waiting for the mortal remains for more than a year, according to The New Indian Express. The MEA spokesperson claimed that the Indian embassy followed such cases on top priority. “In fact, NoCs [no objection certificates] are issued by the embassy on a 24x7 basis.”
Saudi Arabia follows a Kafala system whereby the sponsors are responsible to complete the paper work and dispatch the remains to India. Swarup said that this, at times, delayed the procedure because some employers who are the sponsors refuse to fund the transportation.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!