Air India cancels flight at the last minute; passengers, 30 from Mumbai, were in Iraq to visit the sacred Karbala mosque
The stranded pilgrims have claimed that their money and medicines have exhausted
A pilgrimage to Imam Husayn Shrine in Karbala, Iraq has turned into a hellish ordeal for 51 Indians who are allegedly stuck there since March 4. The tourists, 30 of whom are from Mumbai, alleged that Air India cancelled their flight back to India without prior information and has failed to provide them an alternative to return home. Many of them are senior citizens and women who are now left with limited money. The passengers also held a protest in front of the airline's office in Iraq but haven't received any concrete response yet.
Shoeb Ismail Shaikh, a 30-year-old businessman, along with 50 others, flew to Iraq on February 21 to visit the holy city. But on the day of return — March 4 — when they reached the Al Najaf International Airport, they were informed that their flight AI902 had been cancelled.
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Stuck with no money
The stranded passengers have almost exhausted their money and even medicines. "We really don't know what to do. We got to know about the flight cancellation on reaching the airport. There are around 20 senior citizens and women, some of whom need medicines," Shoeb told mid-day over a call. Bashira Mohammed Moosa Shaikh is a 61-year-old cardiac patient who consumed her last dose of medicine on Wednesday morning and is not carrying her prescription to buy some more. "I didn't know that we would be stuck here. The medical stores are refusing to give me the drugs without a prescription. I don't know when I would be able to go home safely," said Bashira.
Passing the buck
Immigration officers have allegedly told the passengers that since the 51 of them were given a visa together, they would be sent back collectively. The airline, however, does not have 51 seats available in a single flight, it said. "After much hue and cry, the airline is now providing us with 20 dollars per day which is adequate for daily survival. But we don't know when we would be able to return home," said Shoeb.
Praveen Bhatnagar, the Air India spokesperson, late on Wednesday night said, "Passengers are now being accommodated on other carriers as per seats availability." Anwar Decorator, a travel agent who booked the tickets of the Mumbai passengers, said that all the tickets were pre-booked months in advance. "If the airline had to cancel the flight, they should have informed us earlier and arranged for alternatives. This is very irresponsible behaviour," said Decorator.
March 4
Scheduled day of return to India
72 hrs
Time since when the 51 pilgrims are stranded in Iraq
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