British Family Presses French Authorities to Release Dying Son’s Body

Relatives of Jasmeet Wadhwa, a 32-year-old who died while attempting to cross the English Channel on a dinghy on 1 April, have staged a protest outside the Dunkirk courthouse demanding that French officials hand over his body and that of Sudanese national Nagmeldin Adam, who perished on the same vessel. The demonstration, joined by Wadhwa’s mother Harbans Kaur Wadhwa and cousin Ivnit Singh Wadwa, highlighted the family’s frustration with the French judicial system’s refusal to release the remains after five months of holding.

The Guardian

Wadhwa and his mother fled Taliban persecution in Afghanistan in January, endured a two-month smuggling route, and reached northern France in mid-March before setting out for the UK. Their attempt ended in tragedy, joining at least 16 reported deaths of Channel crossers this year, the latest occurring on a recent Saturday in a similar part of the French coast.

The Guardian

Following the loss, Harbans Kaur Wadhwa applied to the UK Home Office under the “one-in-one-out” scheme, which exchanges a person who arrived illegally for another who applies legally from northern France. The Home Office rejected the request, citing an unsatisfactory identity document; Afghans typically use a Tazkira for identification.

The Guardian

French interior ministry and the police unit responsible for the bodies did not comment on the delay.

The Guardian

• “We shouldn’t have to fight to say goodbye,” — Handout Ivnit Singh Wadwa

The Guardian

The family’s appeal remains unresolved, and the Home Office’s refusal leaves the “one-in-one-out” pathway unavailable to Harbans Kaur Wadhwa. No further statements from French authorities have been reported, leaving the release of the bodies uncertain.

The Guardian