Kashmiri MBBS student’s mortal remains to reach Srinagar on Monday

Suhail Khan 

Srinagar, Nov 08: After days of uncertainty, diplomatic correspondence and appeals by his family and political representatives, the mortal remains of Adnan Altaf Rather, a Kashmiri medical student who died in Bangladesh, are expected to reach Srinagar on Monday morning — bringing an end to his mother’s harrowing wait in a foreign land.

The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Sunday said that all formalities for the repatriation had been completed and the mortal remains handed over to his relatives and friends accompanying the family in Bangladesh.

Adnan, a resident of Dangerpora in Sopore, was pursuing his MBBS at Eastern Medical College in Cumilla, Bangladesh. He had travelled to the country around 15 days before the incident along with his mother, Nighat, to appear in his first final-semester examination.

The family’s ordeal began after Adnan reportedly went missing on November 2. His body was recovered from a waterbody in the Burichang area of Cumilla on November 4. His death left his family facing a difficult situation in a foreign country, with his mother waiting for arrangements to bring her son’s mortal remains home. The circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated by Bangladeshi authorities.

As the family sought assistance to bring Adnan’s mortal remains back to Kashmir, the matter prompted intervention from political representatives and the Jammu and Kashmir government.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took up the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), seeking expedited repatriation. The Chief Minister’s Office marked the family’s request as “Most Urgent”, following which the Jammu and Kashmir Resident Commission coordinated with the MEA.

Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo also approached Union Health Minister J P Nadda, sharing the necessary documents and contact details of the bereaved family and seeking his intervention. Nadda assured assistance.

National Conference MLA from Sopore Irshad Rasool Kar thanked Omar Abdullah for personally taking up the matter with the MEA and facilitating efforts to bring the mortal remains back.

Chief Minister’s Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani also assured the JKSA that an ambulance would be arranged to transport the mortal remains from Srinagar airport to Sopore.

Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti appealed to the Indian High Commission and the MEA to extend immediate assistance to the family. She highlighted the difficult circumstances faced by Adnan’s mother in Bangladesh and called for urgent arrangements to bring the mortal remains home.

The JKSA remained in contact with the family and the concerned authorities, seeking to expedite the process. Its National Convenor, Nasir Khuehami, had earlier highlighted the difficulties delaying the repatriation, including the requirement of a government-authorised doctor for the embalming procedure and the official holiday in Bangladesh.

The All India Medical Students Association, through its president Dr Mohammad Momin Khan, also wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, seeking immediate intervention. The association urged the Indian diplomatic mission in Bangladesh to provide humanitarian assistance to the family, complete the required formalities and facilitate the earliest possible transportation of the mortal remains. It also sought the intervention of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

In a communication dated November 5, the MEA informed the concerned authorities that the Assistant High Commission of India in Chittagong was in contact with the family and extending necessary assistance to facilitate the repatriation.

The process of bringing Adnan’s mortal remains to India involved several formalities, including the post-mortem examination, obtaining the necessary clearances from Bangladeshi authorities, embalming and documentation for international transportation.

According to the JKSA, the availability of a government-authorised doctor for the embalming procedure had contributed to the delay. An official holiday in Bangladesh on Friday further affected the process.

Although the mortal remains were initially scheduled to reach India on Sunday evening, the onward flight from Delhi to Srinagar had to be rescheduled because a connecting flight was unavailable.

Under the revised arrangements, the mortal remains are expected to depart for India between 2.30 am and 3 am on Monday and reach Srinagar between 9.30 am and 10 am. From Srinagar airport, the body will be transported to his native village in Sopore, where the last rites will be performed.

For Adnan’s family, the wait has been marked by the difficulties of dealing with a tragedy thousands of kilometres away from home. His mother had accompanied him to Bangladesh for his examination; she was left facing the task of bringing her son’s mortal remains back to Kashmir.

The incident has also drawn attention to the challenges confronting families of Indian students studying abroad when emergencies or deaths occur, particularly the need for timely assistance from diplomatic missions, local authorities and government agencies.

The JKSA said it remained in close coordination with the bereaved family, the MEA and the Jammu and Kashmir government to ensure that the remaining arrangements were completed smoothly and the mortal remains reached Sopore without further delay.