Extended family doesn’t have money to send 3 bodies back home to India.
AB Wire
The tragedy that befell an Indian family in Long Island, New York, after a horrific collision that claimed four lives, and left another person in a coma, is far from over: the extended family members of Chandan Gavai don’t have the money to transport his body as well as the bodies of his parents who were visiting from India, Kamalnayan Gavai, 74, and mother, Archana Gavai, 60, who also died, back to India.
Adding to the complication is the fact that Gavai’s wife, Manisha Surwade, 32, who is in a coma and has deep burn injuries as well, is still hospitalized. She cannot give consent for the body of her husband to be cremated as per Hindu rituals, and according to US law. The couple’s 11-month-old son Ibhan miraculously survived the collision with just fractures on both his arms. The inebriated driver of a pickup truck who collided with the family sedan, Gustave Geyer, died too in the crash.
Suffolk police said Gavai, 38, the driver of a 2014 Nissan Altima, collided with the pickup truck driven by Geyer at about 10:46 p.m. on July 4 on Yaphank Middle Island Road.
Gavai was in the United States on a work visa, working with an IT firm, and he and his family lived in Hauppauge, friends said. Surwade was later hospitalized in critical condition at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital, reported NBC.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Gavai, a graduate of University of Mumbai, was a senior programmer and analyst at Broadbridge Financial Services of Edgewood, New York, since July 2011. Surwade was an alum of the University of Pune.
The family were returning after watching the July 4th fireworks, Manish Sandbhor, a friend of the Gavais, was quoted as saying by Newsday.
Some Indian government officials and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, however, must be commended for trying to help.
On Sunday, the Consul General of India in New York Riva Ganguly proposed that the body of Gavai be buried till his wife Surwade came out of coma. Thereafter, once she gives her consent, his body could be exhumed and then cremated as per rituals.
Swaraj tweeted the same: “Burial of Chandan as his wife Manisha is in coma and she alone can give consent for his cremation.” She added in another tweet: “Burial only till his wife Manisha recovers from coma. Once she gives consent, Chandan will also be cremated.”
Swaraj also added that that death certificates would be issued for all the three who died and the family would be helped in getting insurance money. The minister said that all members of the family, including of Surwade, who are in the US, are agreeable to Ganguly’s proposal.
According to NDTV, Swapnil Gavai (34), Chandan’s brother, a resident of Kalyan, Maharashtra, reached New York the second week of July and has been desperately approaching all authorities concerned there to let him have the bodies so that he can cremate them.
“Bringing the bodies to India will cost us $20,000 (Rs. 13.5 lakh) for each body; we don’t have that kind of money. The cost for cremating each body right here is around $6,000 (Rs. 4 lakh). We have been going to everyone we can, asking for help. Also, the authorities here are saying we cannot claim our brother’s body, only his wife can do that. We can’t just claim our parents’ bodies and abandon our brother,” said Swapnil, who is a financial consultant and runs a small business in Kalyan.
His eldest brother, Anand (40), a Netherlands resident, who arrived in New York on Wednesday, has also been doing the rounds of the Indian Embassy, asking for help, but says he is disappointed.
Anand was quoted by NDTV as saying, “The Indian embassy here has not been of any help to us. In fact, they even insulted us for approaching them for help. We don’t know where to go or who else to approach.”
Anand, who is a scientist, had to then approach the Dutch embassy who, in turn, approached the Indian Embassy.
“I reached New York on Wednesday night and approached the Suffolk police station. The officials there handed over the belongings of our family that they found at the accident site,” Anand said.
“We would prefer not to cremate the bodies here and would like to bring the bodies back to India instead. We can do that only if the Indian government helps us,” he added.
Following news reports about the accident, an NGO run by the Indian community in New York made a plea for funds. They have collected more than $200,000 till date. But, the brothers said, the NGO has not been responding to their calls for help, reported NDTV.
Swapnil said, “According to other Indians here, the money collected is only for Ibhan’s future. We will take care of his future. He doesn’t need that money. The money would help us cremate our brother’s and parents’ bodies instead.”