Body of Delhi man to be brought from Tokyo tomorrow: Swaraj

On December 10, Gopal Ram passed away from a cardiac arrest in Tokyo and his family had been struggling since to bring his body back.

New Delhi, Dec 23: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today said the mortal remains of a man from Delhi, who died of cardiac arrest in Tokyo two weeks ago, will be brought back home tomorrow, days after his family sought government's help citing financial constraints. Last week, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) had sought Swaraj's intervention after Radha Debi, wife of deceased Gopal Ram, approached it seeking help, saying his poor family was unable to bring the body back.

Responding to the request, Swaraj had said government will bring back the body without delay and bear the expense. "The mortal remains will reach New Delhi by ANA flight from Tokyo on 24 December at 2400 hrs," Swaraj tweeted today. The External Affairs Minister is known for her prompt response in addressing problems of distressed Indians abroad. 48-year-old Gopal Ram, a resident of Ambedkar Nagar, had gone to Tokyo in September last year looking for greener pastures. He died of a cardiac arrest in the Japanese capital on December 10. "The family is severely distressed and needs your kind support.

As we all aware you have been extremely pro-active in resolving such matters. Therefore, I am forwarding the representation along with this letter for your kind perusal. Hoping for your support in this matter," DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal had said in a letter to Swaraj last week.

Gopal was working in Tokyo as a cook in a hotel and according to a family member he was fired within three months after which he started working in some local shop. His financial condition was bad because of which he was in distress, he said. On December 10, the family received a call from a person who worked with Gopal, saying that he has passed away following a heart attack.

PTI