On the sixth day after the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, the body of 14-year-old Akash Patni was finally released to his family.
Akash had been sleeping near his mother’s tea stall when the London-bound Dreamliner plummeted into the BJ Medical College campus on June 12.
His remains were handed over early Tuesday morning at Chamunda cremation ground, where mourners laid a bed of roses on his casket and a poster of his smiling face welcomed the final procession.
Akash’s father, autorickshaw driver Suresh Patni, explained that though they were told to collect the body late Monday, they waited until dawn to perform the cremation rites.
His mother, Sita Ben Patni, who was operating the tea stall at the time of the crash, survived with 50percent burns and is recovering after surgery at Civil Hospital.
The stall was the family’s main livelihood, supplemented by Suresh’s earnings.
Despite the tragedy, the Patnis say they have received no word on any compensation. Suresh Patni urged authorities to extend the same support promised to aircraft passengers to families like his, who lost a loved one while simply trying to earn a living.
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