Mumbai Family's 35-Day Nightmare Before Sailor's Homecoming In A Coffin

At 4:15 am on April 5, while the city slept, a heavy wooden crate arrived at Mumbai International Airport's cargo terminal. It carried the body of 33-year-old Dixit Solanki, the first Indian sailor killed in an attack off the Oman coast last month during the Iran war. 

For his father, Amritlal, and sister, Mitali, this was the end of a grueling 35-day wait that began on March 1, when a missile strike on the oil tanker MT MKD Vyom turned a routine voyage into a national tragedy. Yet, as the sun rose over the terminal, the relief of his return was eclipsed by a cold, haunting uncertainty.

The Refusal of the Last Rites

In a move that underscores a deep mistrust of the official narrative, the Solanki family has made the heartbreaking decision to halt the funeral. 

Instead of a crematorium, the body was moved to a city mortuary. 

The family is now demanding a formal DNA test to prove the identity of the body before any final rites are performed. This demand is not merely born out of grief, but of a month filled with "red flags" including the fact that while other rescued crew members returned with their belongings, Dixit's laptop, phone, and personal journals have vanished.

"I Will Not Believe He is Gone"

This current stand for a DNA test is the culmination of skepticism Amritlal Solanki has held since the very beginning. Shortly after the accident on March 1, while speaking to NDTV, a grieving but firm Amritlal had questioned the entire incident. 

At that time, sitting in his Kandivali home with a garland-less photo of his son, he had stated - "There is a picture of Dixit in the house, but I haven't put a garland on it yet. Until I see my son's body with my own eyes, I will not believe he is gone. We haven't been told clearly what happened. They say there was an attack, but why didn't the ship's siren go off? I have so many questions that haven't been answered."

A Battle for Truth in the High Court

The journey from the coast of Oman to Mumbai was only made possible after the family moved the Bombay High Court last week, seeking to break the silence of the shipping company, V Ships India Pvt Ltd. 

For the Solankis, the fight is no longer about the cross-border conflict that took Dixit's life, it is a fight against the machinery of bureaucracy. 

As the High Court hears the matter today, April 6, the family remains in a state of suspended mourning waiting for science to confirm what their hearts have feared since that first phone call in March.

A Neighborhood in Mourning

In the MHB Colony of Mahavir Nagar, Dixit was known as a mild-mannered man who had returned to the sea to provide for his family following his mother's death. Today, his neighbours stand with a father who refuses to be silenced. 

For Amritlal Solanki, justice is not found in compensation, but in the certainty of a biological match. Until that truth is delivered, his long, lonely watch for his son continues.