India says 'no request yet' for the repatriation of bodies of British victims of Gujarat riots

THE Indian High Commission in London said that it has not been approached for the repatriation of the mortal remains of three British victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots.

It was responding to a comment made by Kim Leadbeater MP in the UK Parliament on Wednesday (9).

Leadbeater, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, called for the repatriation of the mortal remains of the victims and also sought a coroner’s inquest in the UK into the circumstances of their deaths during a debate on the ‘20th anniversary of the 2002 Gujarat riots’. 

The Indian High Commission clarified that it has not been approached by the MP or any other participants on the subject, including on the specific request of the families of three British victims.

"As has been abundantly acknowledged by speakers in the discussion, since 2002, due process of law has been followed, closely supervised by the Supreme Court. It is well known that under successive Indian governments, there has been continuous Parliamentary oversight and judicial supervision of the investigations into the incidents and free debate and discussions have taken place in the Parliament of India," said Vishwesh Negi, minister (political, press & information) at the Indian High Commission.

"As in a mature democracy, the report of the Special Investigation Team constituted by the Supreme Court has been placed in the public domain in its entirety."

While responding to Leadbeater's call, foreign office minister Amanda Milling said the demand for the return of the bodies would be supported by the British government.

“We have provided consular support to the families of the British victims since 2002 and we will continue to provide assistance as needed. I acknowledge the families must feel that the remains of their loved ones have not been returned to them. We have been advised by the families’ legal representative that an application has been made to the court in India for the remains to be returned and we stand ready to support this application once it has been made," Milling added. 

She also emphasised the importance of the UK’s ties with India and added that India is a strategic partner and the ‘pharmacy of the world’.

'Nothing can bring back the victims'

During her speech, Leadbeater MP recounted the incidents leading up to the death of three British individuals and their Indian driver in 2002. Two of the three UK nationals were from the Dawood family that belongs to her constituency.

Leadbeater said: “On February 28, 2002, four tourists were on their way back after visiting the Taj Mahal, which should have been the trip of a lifetime. Their names were Shakeel and Saeed Dawood, their 18-year-old nephew Imran and their childhood friend Mohammad Aswat. Not long after they crossed the state border into Gujarat, their jeep was stopped at a roadblock.

"A mob encircled the vehicle, demanding to know their religion. They replied that they were Muslim and that they were British citizens on holiday. In the violence that followed, Shakeel, Saeed, Mohammad and their driver were all killed. Miraculously, Imran Dawood survived, and he is with us today. It is only through his testimony that we know the circumstances of what happened. He remembers Saeed and Shakeel pleading for their lives to be spared.”

The British lawmaker added: “Nothing that is said or done today can bring Shakeel, Saeed or Mohammad back. But that doesn’t mean that nothing can be done to provide some comfort to the Dawood family. And after 20 years, [it can give them] possibly even some sense of being able to move forward with their lives. It causes them enormous hurt that the remains of their three young men have never been returned to them.

“So I’d asked the minister to check with the Indian authorities if repatriation of the remains is possible. And if so, that it should happen as soon as practicable. They have also asked about the possibility of an inquest being conducted in this country, a request that I have passed on to the coroner.”