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Grieving widower faces UK deportation after tragedy
21 Apr
Summary
- Man ordered to leave UK after losing wife and daughter in a plane crash.
- His visa extension request was denied on compassionate grounds.
- Campaigners condemn the Home Office's decision as cruel and immoral.
Mohammad Shethwala, an Indian national who tragically lost his wife and two-year-old daughter in the 2025 Air India Flight 171 crash, has been ordered by the UK Home Office to leave the country by April 22, 2026, or face deportation. This decision comes after his request for a visa extension on compassionate and humanitarian grounds was rejected.
Shethwala moved to the UK in March 2022 on a dependent visa. His wife, Sadikabanu Tapeliwala, and their daughter, Fatima, were among the 260 victims of the crash near Ahmedabad. He had been residing in the UK as a dependent on his wife's student visa.
Friends and campaigners have widely criticized the Home Office's decision, calling it cruel, immoral, and lacking compassion for a grieving widower. They argue that his support network in the UK is crucial for his mental well-being and that returning to India would be extremely difficult and emotionally challenging.
The Home Office stated that all visa applications are assessed individually based on immigration rules. They noted that Shethwala has family and speaks the language in India, suggesting he can reintegrate there. He has been granted immigration bail until April 22.
