Repatriation of mortal remains eases due to Telugu NRI’s efforts

Hyderabad

The recent directive by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) allowing transportation of human remains to India even when the deceased person’s original passport is unavailable, is being seen as a breakthrough for families facing this issue from a foreign soil.

Mohan Nannapaneni, a Telugu entrepreneur in the United States, who has been advocating this for several years through his TEAM Aid, sees this move as a huge relief to families in India. “It was a nightmare and compounded the distress of bereaved households,” he told The Hindu.

Mr. Nannapaneni, who has earlier worked as the president of the Telugu Association of North America (TANA), founded TEAM Aid to address this crucial issue of sending back the mortal remains of Indians, overcoming the procedural delays that lasted for months sometimes.

“Having facilitated the repatriation of more than 3,000 mortal remains from various countries by the TEAM Aid I feel the changes in Section 19 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025 is a significant relief for grieving families, airlines, and consulates worldwide,” said Mr. Nannapaneni, who was instrumental in ensuring that all Indian associations in North America worked cohesively for the community.

As the TANA president, he faced difficulties in dealing with such unfortunate situations. With some volunteers in each state of the USA, he started the TEAM Aid that did a commendable job of sending back mortal remains, raising funds and addressing the stringent norms.

“We realised that the norms of the Immigration and Foreigners Act could be relaxed to provide relief to the unfortunate families who were already pained and shattered by the loss of their dear ones,” he said, recalling numerous cases where the absence of a passport led to delays or refusals by airlines.

The TEAM Aid flagged the issue, with the ministry concerned and also the embassies, apart from community leaders like Jaipur Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari. Mr. Nannapaneni thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for responding positively and acting with compassion.

The MHA modified certain norms stating that human remains are classified as cargo, not passengers, under Section 19 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025. So, no immigration clearance is required to transport human remains.

Now, Airlines cannot insist on the original passport of the deceased once an Indian Mission issues a No Objection Certificate (NOC), and they may present the NOC and essential details of the deceased to immigration authorities upon arrival. Absence of the passport does not constitute any legal violation.