A grieving father who lost his wife and young daughter in last year’s Air India crash is now facing deportation from the UK within days.
Mohammad Sethwala, 27, lost his wife, Sadikabanu Tapeliwala, 24, and their two-year-old daughter, Fatima, in the June 12, 2025 disaster, which claimed 260 lives after a Gatwick-bound flight crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. He had been living in the UK since 2022.
In the months since the tragedy, Mohammad says he has been struggling to cope with overwhelming grief. “Just months ago, our home was filled with the sound of nursery rhymes,” he said. “I have nothing left. I lost my child, my wife — everything.”
Mohammad had been in the UK on a dependent visa through his wife, who was studying International Business Management at Ulster University in Holborn. However, seven months after her death, his visa expired.
He says his solicitor informed him that he does not qualify under the bereaved spouse category, describing his case as highly unusual. “This is a rare situation where a plane crash has killed a UK visa holder,” he said.
An application to remain in the UK on “compassionate and compelling grounds” was rejected last week. The Home Office stated that he has family in India, speaks the language, and could reintegrate there.
He has been granted immigration bail until April 22 and faces detention and deportation if he does not leave by then. “If my wife were still alive, I would be allowed to stay,” Mohammad said. “I built my life here. I don’t want to start over somewhere else while carrying this grief.”
Chionuma Law, supporting many affected families, has urged authorities to reconsider, calling it a “genuine humanitarian case” deserving compassion.
