Indian student dies in Canada, family appeals to MEA for help in bringing back mortal remains

New Delhi, India

The family of an Indian-origin student who passed away in Canada due to a cardiac arrest on Friday (Feb 16) is seeking assistance from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to repatriate his body to India. The student has been identified as Shaik Muzammil Ahmed, a Hyderabad resident.

A request for help

On X, formerly Twitter, Amjad Ullah Khan, a leader from the Telangana-based political party Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT), confirmed the news of the 25-year-old student's death and stated that Ahmed's family has sought assistance from Union Minister S Jaishankar.

According to Khan, Ahmed, a Master's student in IT at Conestoga College in Ontario, had been suffering from a fever for the past week. On Friday, his family received a call from a friend informing them of his sudden demise.

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In a letter to Jaishankar, Ahmed's uncle expressed the family's shock and requested the Indian High Commission in Ottawa and the Consulate General of India in Toronto to expedite the repatriation process.

"@DrSJaishankar Sir, One Shaik Muzammil Ahmed-25 years from Hyderabad, Telangana State pursuing Masters in IT from Conestoga College, Waterloo Campus in Kitchener City in Ontario, Canada since Dec 2022 was suffering from fever since last one week, but his family received a call from his friend that he died due to cardiac arrest today," reads the post shared on X by Khan.

Along with the post, the Telangana leader shared a letter written by Muzammil Ahmed's uncle Mahammed Amzad. 

"On hearing this news his parents and entire family is in a state of shock, and we request you to kindly send his mortal remains back to Hyderabad as soon as possible," read the letter. 

This tragic incident, as per a Hindustan Times report, comes in the wake of another incident where an Indian student, Syed Mazahir Ali, was brutally attacked in Chicago, as previously highlighted by Khan.

(With inputs from agencies)