Sameer Kumar’s first birthday away from his family on December 14, as he had moved to Georgia five months earlier. Throughout the day, his family in Khanna town of Ludhiana district in Punjab tried to contact him to wish him a happy birthday but unfortunately, their calls and messages went unanswered.
26-year-old Sameer was one of the 12 people found along with 11 Indians Gudauri died at a mountain resort-cum-restaurant Cause of suspected gas poisoning in Georgia. All the dead were employees of Haveli, an Indian restaurant on the border between Georgia and Russia.
speaking with The Indian ExpressSameer’s father Rajesh Kumar said, “His mother spoke to him at midnight on December 13 and wished him well. He said that due to heavy snowfall, there was a power outage in Gudauri, so mini gensets should be arranged. All the Punjabi boys living together were sleeping in the hall and closed the door because of the storm. Apparently, there was a lack of oxygen. “
“However, on the morning of December 14, when we wished him a happy birthday again, there was no reply. This had never happened before. Then we somehow got his employer’s contact number and the employer informed him that 12 of his employees, including my son, had been found dead. Did it,” added the father.
“The condition of the house is critical; My mother is shocked. We request the Indian government to help us so that we can carry out the last rites as soon as possible,” said Sameer’s brother Gurdeep. (Express Image)
Rajesh Kumar, who lives in Billa Wali Chapari area of Khanna city, said that he has contacted the local district administration and Delhi embassy officials to bring back his son’s body for last rites. Sameer has parents, a brother and a married sister.
Sameer’s brother Gurdeep Kumar, who works in a private firm, also told how they waited all day for Sameer’s reply to his birthday wishes on December 14, but it never came.
“We tried everything – calls, messages – but all our messages went unread. Days passed, nights passed. The next morning, December 15, we got worried when there was no response. We finally looked up the restaurant owner’s number online, and that’s when we We came to know about the tragedy,” said Gurdeep, who said his brother had gone to Georgia to help the family financially.
Gurdeep said that although they were assured that the body would be sent home after the post-mortem, “there was a lot of delay in the process”.
“The condition of the house is critical; My mother is shocked. We request the Government of India to help us so that we can perform the last rites as soon as possible,” Gurdeep said.
“We never thought that this was his last birthday. Our mother wished him a happy birthday on a video call, but none of us could wish him on that last occasion,” he added.
Although the Indian Embassy in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, said that 11 Indian citizens were killed in Gudauri, Amritsar Congress MP Gurjit Singh Aujla said that the 12 killed were all Indians.
According to Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, the incident is being treated as a case of death by negligence under Article 116 of the country’s criminal code.
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