The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association on Friday said that the mortal remains of Kashmiri MBBS student, Late Sabha Rasool, who tragically passed away in Iran, will be flown back to India today. The repatriation is being facilitated by Mahan Air Flight No. W5 071, scheduled to depart at 5:00 PM (IST).
National Convenor of the Association, Nasir Khuehami, said that her body is expected to arrive at Delhi Airport late this evening, from where it will be transported to Kashmir by early tomorrow morning. She will reach her native place in Safakadal, Srinagar, tomorrow, where her last rites will be performed as per tradition.
The Association urged former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Advisor to Chief Minister, Nasir Sogami, to ensure that ambulance transportation and other necessary facilities are made available at Srinagar Airport tomorrow morning, so that the mortal remains can be taken to her native place in Safakadal with dignity.
Her body is expected to arrive at Delhi Airport late tonight, from where it will be transported to Kashmir by tomorrow morning. She will finally be laid to rest at her ancestral home in Safakadal, Srinagar, where her last rites will be performed as per tradition.
However, the grieving family has informed us that no support was extended to them by the government in this difficult hour. Already devastated and shattered by the untimely death of their daughter, they were compelled to shoulder every responsibility themselves. From completing documentation to arranging transportation, the family bore the entire burden, paying nearly ten times the normal airfare charges for the repatriation of her mortal remains. The only assistance came from the Indian Embassy in Iran, which helped with the initial formalities. Beyond that, everything had to be arranged by the bereaved family and community members themselves, it said.
It is heartbreaking that a family struggling with the loss of their young daughter had to simultaneously battle financial and logistical hurdles. Such moments of grief should be met with compassion and institutional support, not unbearable burdens.
Khuehami further urged the External Affairs Minister to establish a formal mechanism to assist families of Kashmiri students and other Indian nationals who lose their lives abroad, ensuring that no family is left to fend for themselves during such unimaginable tragedies. A clear, compassionate policy is the least that can be expected to uphold human dignity and to support families in their darkest hours.
The Association added that when another Kashmiri student, Arsalan Kanjwal from Sopore, passed away in Iran, the MEA facilitated his repatriation and bore the entire expenditure. The same approach should have been extended in Sabha’s case as well, sparing her grieving family from this painful ordeal.
The Association has also requested the External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, for personal intervention to reimburse the family of Late Sabha Rasool for the extraordinary costs incurred in repatriating her mortal remains.
The Association urged the MEA to institutionalize a dedicated support mechanism under the Ministry to ensure timely financial, logistical, and humanitarian assistance to families of Indian students and citizens who lose their lives abroad.
This compassionate intervention will not only bring relief to Sabha’s grieving family but also reaffirm the government’s commitment to standing by its citizens in their most difficult times.
