British families mourning loved ones lost in the June 12 Air India crash faced renewed trauma when repatriated remains were shockingly misidentified. At least two families received incorrect bodies, with one discovering an unknown passenger in their relative’s coffin, forcing them to abandon funeral plans. Another family found "commingled" remains of multiple victims in a single casket, requiring separation before burial could proceed. The errors surfaced after London’s Inner West Coroner, Dr. Fiona Wilcox, conducted DNA verification, a step not performed by Indian authorities before repatriation.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) insisted remains were handled with "utmost professionalism and dignity," but victims’ families and their lawyer James Healy-Pratt dismissed the statement as vague and inadequate. "It lacks specifics, assurances, and any detailed explanation of the chain of custody," Healy-Pratt emphasized, noting the MEA failed to clarify whether more misidentified remains might still be in India. The Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, tasked with identification, had advised families not to open coffins, citing severe disfigurement, a directive that obscured errors until UK scrutiny.
For Miten Patel, whose parents died in the crash, discovering "other remains" in his mother’s casket compounded his grief. "People were tired, but there has to be responsibility," he told the BBC. Families described a "double psychological trauma": enduring DNA matching in India, being assured of correct identification, then learning of grotesque mix-ups weeks later. Healy-Pratt noted one family remains "in limbo," unable to bury their loved one while another victim’s whereabouts are unknown.
With UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer expected to raise the issue during Indian PM Narendra Modi’s London visit, families demand transparency. The MEA’s pledge to "work with UK authorities" rings hollow to those seeking concrete action. Critics highlight broader failures: the crash’s cause remains unclear, compensation processes faced accusations of coercion, and now, botched repatriations erode trust. As Healy-Pratt stressed, "The chain of custody was unacceptably poor".