Stranded British Asians set to be flown back home

by LAUREN CODLING and S NEERAJ KRISHNA

THOUSANDS of Britons “stranded” in India following the Covid-19 pandemic will be repatriated in the coming days, the UK government announced on Monday (30).

The response comes after a number of British nationals stranded in India accused the UK government of “abandoning” them after Delhi declared a 21-day lockdown last Wednesday (25).

Many tourists remain in the country, amid reports of police violence, threats towards foreigners, and shortages of food, water and medicine.

On Monday, foreign secretary Dominic Raab confirmed he was working with airlines to enable “hundreds of thousands to return home on commercial flights”.

He also claimed to have discussed repatriation plans with his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar.

“The arrangements agreed today will provide a clearer basis to organise special charter flights where Britons find themselves stranded,” Raab said during the daily coronavirus briefing. “Our priority will always be the most vulnerable.”

Acting British high commissioner to India, Jan Thompson, said departure dates would be announced in a few days despite the Indian government extending the ban on international flights until April 14.

“The British government has announced a worldwide partnership between the UK government and airlines to repatriate British nationals stranded due to the unprecedented international travel and domestic restrictions in place as a result of the coronavirus pandemic,” Thompson said.

With a large number of travellers from the UK, India will be among the priority countries.

An online petition – Repatriate UK citizens stuck in India – had previously urged the UK government to “act now using whatever means possible to get these British citizens back on UK soil”.

One of those stranded included Bhasha Mukherjee, a junior NHS doctor at the Pilgrim Hospital in Lincolnshire and reigning Miss England. She had been touring India as part of a humanitarian trip with a charity, but booked a return ticket to the UK as panic over the pandemic began to grow.

Mukherjee managed to board a flight, but it was grounded because of “technical issues”.

Following the Indian government’s ban of international flights, she was forced to self-isolate with her extended family in Kolkata. “Everything started to change very rapidly [over the past two weeks],” she said. “I started getting emails from work asking me to return. I knew how badly I was needed so I emailed telling them I was willing to come back.”

However, she was informed she would be unable to return to the UK following the lockdown. “Hundreds of people were just standing there in the airport with their bags, desperately trying to get on a flight and leave (…) I just sat on the floor crying,” she said. “I felt like a refugee. Now I’m literally stuck in my room feeling completely useless.”

Venkatesh Gopalakrishnan, another Briton trapped with his family in Mumbai, said he hoped his wife could soon rejoin the NHS. He said: “We were here for father’s cremation and final rites. We need to get back to our homes and jobs in the UK. My wife works in the NHS. Currently it requires all the help that it can get.”

Jarnail Singh, 65 and his wife Kirpal Kaur, 67, from Bilston, Wolverhampton, were left stranded in Punjab after their return flight was cancelled. Their daughter Harpreet Kaur, 35, who is in the UK,

said she was “deeply concerned about her parents’ wellbeing”.

“They are living under a strict curfew and are unable to leave the house, even for food or to get gas cylinders for cooking,” she said, expressing concern that her parents had “serious medical conditions but can’t get access to medical supplies”.

Terming the situation in India a “threatening environment”, she urged the government to “get them home as soon as possible where they will be safe”.

Meanwhile, thousands of tourists are also trapped in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as countries grounded a number of international flights to halt the spread of infection.

Tanweer Ahmed Khan, 60, from Manchester, is stuck in Lahore, Pakistan alongside six members of his family. His daughter, Ikra Naser, said the family had been due to fly back to the UK last week after visiting a sick relative but were unable to leave.

Tanweer has a serious heart condition and severe arthritis, and his wife also suffers from a serious health condition. “(My father) took enough medication to last until Monday but then we don’t know what he’ll do,” Ikra said.

Many families, including the Khans, have claimed they are unable to afford ticket prices back to the UK. The outward flights cost £500 return each, but the family is facing paying up to £2,000 for a single trip back.

“I’m scared for my parents,” Ikra admitted, claiming she attempted to contact the Foreign Office but “they didn’t seem to care”.

Sahiba Sajid, an NHS hospital social worker from Leeds who is stranded in Pakistan, also expressed her frustration at being stuck in the country. “The NHS team I work in was already under a lot of pressure before I went and I can only imagine how they are managing,” Sajid said. “I just want to go back and work but I’m stuck here instead.”

Last week, Sri Lankan officials said they had made arrangements for the departure of 18,093 foreign tourists who were stranded in the country. It had stopped all incoming passenger flights on March 22, although departure flights continued to operate as usual.

“We are encouraging other governments to arrange evacuation flights to take back their nationals,” Madubhani Perera, director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board, told reporters.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh confirmed it had extended a ban on all domestic flights and almost all international flights to April 7.

Meanwhile, officials cautioned about false messages. One such fake WhatsApp message had said: “If anyone knows anyone who is stuck in London, Air India is operating evacuation flights from DEL and BOM. They will need to contact the Indian High Commission in London for a seat. These are on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd of April…”

The Indian mission in UK said: “The High Commission notes with dismay that some rumours are being spread even in such trying times. We request all not to pay attention to rumours.”

An Air India official told Eastern Eye: “Discussions about repatriation flights were on at the ministerial level.” He said no one from the airline would comment on the message, as “even a slip of the tongue” could cause confusion among already worried passengers.

The flights, he added, would be announced by the high commission and ministers concerned.

The Foreign Office said: “We are negotiating intensely with countries around the world to secure permissions for return flights where airspace has been closed.”

Information on the special flights will be promoted through the UK government’s travel advice and by the British Embassy or High Commission in the particular country.