A grieving father who lost his wife and only child in the Air India disaster is facing deportation from the UK within days. Mohammad Sethwala, 27, has been denied permission to stay in the country after applying on 'compassionate and compelling circumstances'.
His wife Sadikabanu Tapeliwala, 24, and their two-year-old daughter Fatima were among 242 people killed when Air India Flight 171 crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad last June shortly after takeoff. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was bound for Stansted Airport.
Mr Sethwala came to the UK in 2022 on a dependant visa linked to his wife's student status. She was studying International Business Management at Ulster University in Holborn. The family lived in Ilford, east London. After her death, the visa permissions expired seven months later.
He told The Sun that a solicitor informed him he did not meet the criteria for a bereaved spouse visa, as the situation was rare. His application for discretionary leave on compassionate grounds was rejected last week. Mr Sethwala is now on immigration bail until April 22, when he will be detained and deported to India.
Speaking about the crash, he said he initially thought it must have been a different plane. He later learned that his wife and daughter were among the dead. 'I lost my child, my wife. Everything,' he said, adding that returning to India would not allow him to move forward from his grief.
