In a heart-wrenching incident, a 28-year-old Keralite in Dubai, whose pregnant wife had moved the Supreme Court for an early repatriation during the COVID-19 lockdown, died on Sunday. According to the Gulf News, Nithin Chandran, a mechanical engineer, died in sleep, exactly a month after his wife Athira Geetha Sreedharan (27) flew home on the first repatriation flight from Dubai.
Though the cause of the death is not immediately known, his friends told the paper that he was under treatment for high blood pressure and a heart condition and that he might have suffered a heart attack.
The couple had filed a write petition in the Supreme Court seeking an early repatriation since the delivery of their first baby was due in the first week of July. Their petition, however, failed to make any impact as the government had imposed a blanket suspension of international flight services.
Athira, an electronics and communication engineer, left for Kerala on May 7 on the first flight from Dubai operated under the Vande Bharat Mission. Nithin, who turned 28 on last Tuesday, stayed back in Dubai due to his work schedule.
According to reports, Athira managed to get a ticket on the first repatriation flight after the Indian Council General in Dubai put her in the high-priority list owing to her advanced stage of pregnancy.
It is learnt that the couple were active in social service and were members of the Blood Donors Kerala-UAE chapter. Even after Athira left for Kerala, Nithin was active in voluntary services including blood donation drives and distribution of food kits for those affected by COVID-19, the Gulf News reported, quoting their friends.
“Nithin worked a lot for the community, especially arranging blood donation camps and volunteering during COVID situation. I give my sincere condolences to the family and hope that they are able to withstand this big and untimely loss,” Consul General of India in Dubai Vipul told the daily.
According to Khaleej Times, Nithin's close friends have moved his mortal remains to the Dubai Police mortuary near Al Twar in Dubai, and are hoping to repatriate him to India for the final rites.
Hyder Kodanad Thattathazhath, president of Incas Youth Wing, told the paper: "We have given his samples for a Covid-19 test. If the results return negative, we will do everything in our power to repatriate his body."
