‘How do I talk, he's in box': Mother of AI's Shaikh mourns as body arrives
Pune: As a sombre crowd gathered at Sant Tukaramnagar in Pimpri on Saturday to bid a final farewell to 22-year-old
, a crew member of the ill-fated Air India plane that crashed moments after takeoff in Ahmedabad on June 12, his mother, Taslim, sat frozen in grief, clinging to the coffin containing her son's lifeless body, her eyes fixed and hands trembling as if unwilling to let go of her child.
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With relatives and her husband Samir trying to console her, Taslim gazed at the coffin and murmured, "How do I talk to him? He's in the box." The family performed the last rites at the Hazrat Bilal Eidgah cemetery in Nehrunagar, Pimpri Chinchwad, around 10am.
Irfan's mortal remains were handed over to the family late Friday evening after DNA confirmation. The family brought the body to Pune airport around 7am on Saturday.
A large crowd comprising relatives, friends and politicians from various parties gathered to pay their respects.
The 22-year-old, who was very attached to his mother, made it a point to call his mother before every takeoff and after every landing. Having spoken to her before the ill-fated flight took off, the family knew he was on board when the crash occurred. Upon hearing the about the crash, the family rushed to Ahmedabad that evening, but the DNA matching process delayed the handover of his body, relative Taher said.
Azhar Khan, another relative, said Taslim was still in a state of deep shock. "She has not shed a single tear, she is still in trauma," he said, adding that she continued to dial Irfan's phone number, clinging to the hope that he might somehow respond.
"Taslim's silence is concerning us," Azhar said.
Irfan, a dedicated aviation professional, joined Air Vistara as cabin crew nearly two years ago after completing training in Pune. He initially flew domestic routes and later transitioned to international flights after Vistara merged with Air India. Tragically, his third day back on duty after a short break to celebrate Bakri Eid with his family in Pune turned out to be his last.
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