"Working With UK": India On Air India Crash Families' 'Wrong Bodies' Claim

The families of two Air India crash victims in the United Kingdom have alleged that the bodies repatriated to them were misidentified, according to a lawyer representing them. DNA testing conducted on the repatriated remains has allegedly revealed discrepancies in at least two caskets, as the DNA does not match that of the victims' families.

Reacting to the news, the Indian government said that it is "working closely with the UK side" from the moment these concerns and issues were brought to its attention.

The government underlined that in the wake of the crash, the authorities had carried out "identification of victims as per established protocols and technical requirement".

"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," said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs. 

Sources say in accidents of such nature, it is likely that body tissues of different people get fused which may lead to different results when making DNA analysis.

According to James Healy, the lawyer representing the British families, 12 to 13 sets of human remains were repatriated to the United Kingdom after the June 12 crash of Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad. Of those, two families were informed, following DNA analysis, that the remains they received were not those of their relatives.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as London-bound flight AI171, had taken off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at approximately 1:30 pm. The aircraft crashed moments later into the residential quarters of BJ Medical College in the city's Meghaninagar area, triggering a fire that spread rapidly. Among the 242 passengers and crew members on board, only one survived. 

According to sources, the DNA sampling was done by the government civil hospital in Ahmedabad and not Air India. The airline was not involved in the identification process or in handing over the bodies. The caskets carrying the remains of the bodies were sent to the UK on Air India Cargo facilitated by Kenyon, an international emergency service. 

Air India, which is owned by the Tata Group, has acknowledged that it is investigating the matter, but has not issued an official confirmation regarding the alleged body mix-up.

Earlier this month, families of the victims accused Air India of coercive tactics in handling compensation. In a statement, Stewarts, the UK's largest litigation-only law firm, alleged that families were being compelled to complete complex legal questions under threat of being denied compensation. The firm claimed these documents were issued without appropriate explanation or legal guidance.

"Our clients were told by Air India that they have to complete a questionnaire to receive an advance payment, forcing them to fill out this questionnaire in intense heat with no guidance on the terms and questions within it. We have now heard that Air India is following up with families and pressuring them to complete the questionnaire under threats of receiving no compensation," Stewarts claimed in a statement. 

The forms, according to Stewarts, contain legally significant terminology that could be used by the airline in ways not fully understood by grieving families. "The information being asked could be used against families by Air India in the future, even though few families will understand how the questions should be interpreted," the firm added.

Air India, in response, categorically denied the allegations, calling them "unsubstantiated and inaccurate." In a statement, the airline said, "Air India has been making considerable efforts to process payment of interim compensation (also referred to as advance compensation) as soon as possible, in order to meet the immediate financial needs of affected family members, with the first payments having been made within days of the accident." 

In the days following the accident, the Tata Group announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore (approximately 85,000 pounds) for the families of the victims. Separately, Air India pledged an interim payment of Rs 25 lakh (approximately 21,500 pounds) to cover immediate financial needs.