Dubai - His wife gave birth to a baby girl on Tuesday.
Published: Wed 10 Jun 2020, 12:00 AM
Last updated: Wed 10 Jun 2020, 9:03 PM
The mortal remains of Nithin Chandran, the Indian expat whose pregnant wife filed a repatriation petition to the Supreme Court of India, was flown to Kochi late last night, Khaleej Times has learnt.
Chandran's remains were repatriated from Sharjah International Airport at 11.30 pm on a chartered Air Arabia flight, which landed in Kochi, Kerala, at 5.30 am. The body was later moved to his hometown in Kozhikode to complete his final rites, said Advocate Hashik, a senior legal consultant who is handling Nithin's case. The funeral is expected to take place later today.
Nithin's wife Athira Geetha Sreedharan delivered the couple's first child, a daughter, on June 9, a day after her husband's untimely death. Athira flew home on the first flight from Dubai to Kozhikode on May 7.
"After landing in Kochi, Nithin's remains were taken to MIMS Hospital in Kozhikode so Athira and the baby could see him one last time. She was not told about his passing until after her baby's birth as the family was worried it could cause mother and child some harm," said Hashik.
He added, "I have helped several families repatriate their loved ones to India in the many years of my service here. Nothing has broken my heart more than this case. I met him at the airport on May 7; he was so excited about his first child."
Hyder Kodanad Thattathazhath, president of Incas Youth Wing, a community group Nithin, was an active member of said, "As soon as the family heard about Nithin's death, she was hospitalised. Fortunately, mother and baby are now safe."
Nithin's death sent shockwaves among the Indian community members in the UAE as he was a dedicated social worker with a passion for health-related initiatives. "He was distributing food kits to families affected by the COVID19 pandemic. Once his wife left for India, he actively committed himself to social work," said Thattathazhath.
The expat was an active member of the Incas Youth Group, where he was the coordinator of blood donation organisation - Blood Donors Kerala. Several family members and members of the Incas group gathered at the Sonapur Embalming Centre at 3 pm on Wednesday.
According to his death notification issued by the Ministry of Health Preventive Medicine Department, 28-year-old Chandran had suffered a congestive heart failure. The direct cause of death was stated as cardiac arrest, and the leading cause of death was listed as heart failure.
The couple gained immense media attention after they had filed the Supreme Court petition to have their baby back home in Kerala, amid the Covid-19 pandemic. They decided to deliver their baby in India since he was an employee in the construction sector and was at high risk of exposure. Though Nithin was supposed to fly with his wife to Kerala, he decided to stay back not to waste a seat on the emergency repatriation flights.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com
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