The widespread disruption of air travel across India has inflicted profound emotional distress on a grieving family from Agartala, forcing them into a torturous wait to perform the final rites for their son. The body of 23-year-old Saptarshi Das has remained trapped in a Delhi mortuary for the past three days, a direct consequence of sudden and repeated flight cancellations.
A Tragic Accident and a Journey Interrupted
Saptarshi Das, a medical intern at a private hospital in Lucknow, met a tragic end on the night of December 3. He, along with his friends Arnav Chakraborty, Ayush Sharma, and Shrestha Pancholi, lost their lives when their car overturned after a high-speed collision with a stationary truck on the Delhi-Lucknow national highway.
After the necessary autopsy procedures were completed, Saptarshi's body was handed over to his family to be transported to his hometown of Agartala in Tripura for the last rites. However, their journey was abruptly halted by the operational chaos in the aviation sector. The sudden cancellation of flights by IndiGo triggered a heartbreaking cycle for the family, forcing them to return the body to the mortuary, book hotel accommodations, and desperately search for alternative travel options.
A Mother's Anguish Amidst Broken Promises
Saptarshi's mother, Arpita Debsarkar, recounted the family's ordeal, stating they were given repeated assurances about flights, only to face last-minute cancellations. This forced them into a painful back-and-forth between the mortuary, their hotel, and the airport in Delhi. Her son was on the cusp of completing his MBBS internship at Venkateshwar Medical University, with merely three months remaining in his program.
The family's personal tragedy is set against a backdrop of larger chaos. Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Agartala continues to witness significant disruptions. In the last two days alone, three flights per day have been cancelled, stranding hundreds of passengers, including patients, in the airport lounge. Frustrated travellers have openly accused both IndiGo and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) of failing to meet their basic obligations to passengers.
Wider Impact and Accountability
This incident highlights the severe human cost of the ongoing flight disruptions. While airlines and authorities grapple with logistical issues, it is ordinary citizens who bear the brunt of the inconvenience, sometimes during their most vulnerable moments. The case of the Das family underscores an urgent need for more robust contingency plans and compassionate communication from service providers during such widespread operational failures.
The extended wait for a final farewell, compounded by broken promises and logistical nightmares, has added immeasurable pain to a family already shattered by an irreplaceable loss.
