Indians' mortal remains in Canada were not held up due to lack of money

Sushma Swaraj

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday dismissed media reports that the mortal remains of software engineer Ram Niwas Mishra (38) and his younger son Aarav Mishra (9), were held up due to the lack of money for transporting them from Canada to India.

On April 22, Mishra and Aarav had drowned in a swimming pool at St James Apartments in Winnipeg city in Canada. Mishra's elder son, Shreyaan (10), survived the incident and is recovering in a hospital.

In a series of tweets, Swaraj clarified that the mortal remains of Mishra and his son were held up as rules in Canada require the consent of the family to release the bodies from the hospital.

Furthermore, the deceased's wife Anupam Mishra was in a state of shock in the wake of the tragedy.

"I have received the report from Indian High Commissioner in Canada regarding the mortal remains of Mr. Mishra and his son. The news reports were not correct. The funds were never an issue," she tweeted.

"The mortal remains were held up because Canadian rules require consent of the family to release the bodies from hospital. Mrs. Mishra was in a state of shock and was not able to give her consent," read another tweet.

Swaraj said that Mishra's wife was now in a stable condition and wanted the cremation to take place in Canada itself.

"She is now better and wants the cremation in Canada itself. Indian mission is organising the last rites as per her wishes. Her 10 year old son who was rescued while drowning is recovering in the hospital," she tweeted.

Thanking Indian High Commissioner to Canada Vikas Swarup for the prompt response in the matter, the Union Minister said, "Vikas - I appreciate the efforts of the Indian High Commission and the Consulate. Thank you for setting the record straight."

On Friday, Swaraj had expressed disappointment over a media report which claimed that lack of funds had prevented the mortal remains from being flown to India from Canada.

"Vikas - I am not happy to read this. The mortal remains of Indian nationals should not wait for want of money. Please send them to India without delay," she wrote on the micro-blogging site while tagging Swarup.

According to Canadian media reports, the Mishra family hails from Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj. While Mishra shifted to Winnipeg a year ago, his wife and two sons joined him only a few months back.

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