Indian woman’s body in UAE sent home after a month; case highlights need for new rules

The body of an Indian woman, which was in a UAE mortuary for over a month, has been repatriated after help from the local community. The body of 31-year-old SKJ, hailing from the southern Indian state of Kerala, was sent home on April 6 after the funds needed for the procedure was donated and she was buried on Tuesday morning.

“It was a relief to put her to rest after an ordeal to get her body home,” her husband told Khaleej Times. “Her body was bathed and then buried in her hometown in Fort Kochi right next to her father who died a few months ago.”

The mother-of-three had been in the UAE for 45 days, when the tragedy struck. “She was in Kuwait Hospital for a week,” her husband said. “She had initially worked for a daycare center and returned to India about three or four months ago. But she wanted a better job opportunity, and she went back to Dubai on a visit visa to look for one.”

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He said that he broke the news to his three children, aged 10, 8 and 5, who were heartbroken. As she died while on a visit visa, there was no one who took the responsibility to fly her body home. Her husband, who works as a daily wage laborer in Kerala was not able to afford the expenses. The family then approached a politician who activated local social workers in the UAE to help. 

Need for change in rules

According to a Dubai-based entrepreneur who donated the funds required to repatriate the body, the incident highlighted the need for a change in current rules by the Indian Consulate to take into consideration special circumstances.

Salam Papinassery said that the consulate has a fund for body repatriation to those who could not afford it. However, there were some challenges in this case.

“The consulate requires that the bank account statement of a family member has to be submitted to prove that the family cannot afford the cost of repatriation,” he said. “In this case, the husband of the deceased was a daily wage worker and did not have a bank account. So, the consulate was unable to help.”

He pointed out that while these measures were necessary, there was a need for Indian authorities to factor in special cases. “The requirements of bank accounts were put in place so that no one misuses the funds,” he said. “But in this case, it was counterproductive and put this woman’s family through unnecessary difficulties. So, there must be some workaround for special cases.”