An Indian man who lost his wife and two-year-old daughter in the 2025 Air India Flight 171 crash has been ordered to leave the UK by April 22 or face deportation, triggering widespread criticism of the government’s decision. Mohammad Shethwala, who had been living in Britain on a dependent visa, was placed on immigration bail after the Home Office rejected his Further Leave to Remain (FLR) request to extend his visa on “compassionate” and “humanitarian” grounds, UK media outlet Metro reported.
“I am not accepting this decision from the government. I’m not feeling well right now because of this. I’m not accepting this decision,” Shethwala told Metro.
His wife Sadikabanu Tapeliwala and their two-year-old daughter Fatima were among the 260 people killed when the Ahmedabad–London flight crashed seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad, The Sun reported.
Shethwala moved to the UK in March 2022 as a dependent on his wife’s student visa while she studied at Ulster University’s London campus. The couple later had a British-born daughter, with Sadikabandu planning to continue in the UK under a Skilled Worker route before she died in the crash.
Speaking to The Indian Express, he said: “Sadika and I hail from financially weak backgrounds… our neighbours had pooled in money for our UK dreams.”
Describing his return after the crash, he added: “I returned to the UK at the end of June. But when I returned to our house here, I had a breakdown”.
“Just months ago, the apartment had been loud, filled with the scent of my wife and daughter, the sound of nursery rhymes their clothes and belongings were all over. I could not sleep at night due to depression,” he said, adding that he consulted a private psychiatrist at the insistence of his friends and shifted to London, where friends have “taken care” of him so far.
He said, “Returning to India will constantly remind me of Sadika and Fatima.”
SETHWALA WAS OFFERED JOB BY AIR INDIA IN LONDON, BUT HAD TO TURN IT DOWN
Shethwala, who worked as a delivery driver, also said Air India had offered him a job with the Taj Group in London, but he had to refuse as his visa expired.
Friends said his life collapsed overnight. Musab Taherwala told Metro that “He lost everything. Everything has been ruined… He’s not able to talk about it properly. His mind is not working properly.”
Explaining the visa situation, he added, “If his wife had survived, he would still be allowed in the UK… If his daughter had survived, he would have been granted indefinite leave to remain, but she died as well.”
Criticising the decision, he said, “The Home Office are not being fair. We want a review of this decision… He doesn’t have anything. He applied for an extension because he has nothing left.”
A UK dependent visa allows spouses and children of a primary visa holder to live in the country, but Shethwala’s expired seven months after his wife’s death. He had applied for an FLR on compassionate grounds back in December last year, but to no avail. He told The Sun that, “the solicitor told me that I do not fit into the bereaved spouse category and this is a rare event where a plane crash has killed a resident UK visa holder.”
In a letter sent to his solicitor last week, the Home Office said Mohammed had not been granted the right to remain. The document, seen by The Sun, explains that Mohammad has family in India and continues to speak the language so he would be able to re-integrate, reported The Sun.
He has been granted “immigration bail” until April 22, when he must leave the country, the letter said. Otherwise, he will be detained and deported.
BID TO DEPORT AIR INDIA CRASH VICTIM’S RELATIVE CRITICISED
Campaigners condemned the move, and labelled the Home Office as cruel and immoral.
British social justice leader and CEO of the Migrants’ Rights Network, Fizza Qureshi, was quoted by Metro as saying: “We are horrified at the callousness of the Home Office separating a grieving father and husband from his support network who are caring for him and his mental wellbeing at this tragic time. The Home Office refuses to show compassion even during grief. They must reconsider their decision.”
Historian and social commentator Patrick Vernon said: “This case should shame the Home Office… This is not just bureaucratic failure, it is a moral failure.”
Author and policy expert Gracie Mae Bradley said: “The Home Office surely has better things to do than deprive a grieving father of his home and support network less than a year after a life-changing tragedy.”
Ayush S Rajpal, Case Manager at Chionuma Law representing more than 110 affected families, said: “We believe this is a genuine humanitarian case and request fair and kind consideration… it would be very difficult for him to find similar work in India.”
The UK Home Office, meanwhile, made a statement, as reported by The Sun, stating that “All visa applications are assessed on individual merit in line with immigration rules.”
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