The family of Nambi Rajesh, who died in Muscat, Oman, protested in front of the Air India Express office in Thiruvananthapuram with his mortal remains on Thursday (May 16). His wife Amritha was unable to fly to Muscat due to the airline's sudden strike last week.
Thiruvananthapuram: Relatives of Nambi Rajesh, a Malayali engineer who passed away in Muscat on May 13, staged a protest outside the Air India Express office in the city. Rajesh (40), passed away without the opportunity for his wife to see him one last time due to the disruption caused by the AIX strike on May 6, which affected her travel plans. His body was repatriated to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport from Muscat on Thursday (May 16) morning. The protest was organized by his father-in-law.
Instead of taking the body home, Air India brought it directly to the SATS office. The police reached the spot after receiving information about the protest. The Air India Express authorities assured that they would talk to the family after the final rites of Rajesh. Subsequently, the family withdrew from the protest.
Nambi Rajesh, hailing from Karamana, was admitted to the hospital on May 5 after collapsing at his workplace in Muscat. His wife, Amritha C, promptly booked a ticket for a next-day Air India Express flight to Muscat. However, upon her arrival at the airport the following morning, she was dismayed to find out that the airline had canceled its services due to a cabin crew protest.
Despite her earnest efforts to persuade the airline officials, Amritha's pleas and tears were ignored. Instead, she was sent home with a false promise of being provided with a ticket the next day. Despite inquiring about the possibility of securing a ticket for the following day, her efforts proved futile. In the end, she had no choice but to cancel her trip.