Shimla: Mortal remains of Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, 42, a truck driver, who died in a Saudi Arabia and buried as per Muslim rites despite he being a Hindu, will be exhumed and brought back to his home at Una in Himachal Pradesh.
After the issue of his burial performed in Saudi Arabia despite he being Hindu was raised in the state assembly by Congress MLA from Una Satpal Raizada early this week, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had responded writing a letter to minister for external affairs S Jaishankar.
On Saturday, on the last day of the state assembly's budget session, the CM informed the House that efforts of the state government have paid off.
The body of late Sanjeev Kumar Sharma will be exhumed and brought to India to enable his family to perform his last rites as per Hindu traditions.
He said his religion was wrongly mentioned as Muslim during a translation done to prepare the documents relating to his death in the hospital there. The state government had taken up the matter with the Centre and the Saudi Arabia Consulate General after it was raised in the House on March 16.
The chief minister said that he had also personally talked to the external affairs minister.
Raizada had claimed that Una man died due to cardiac arrest on January 24 in Saudi Arabia, where he had been working for three years.
His mortal remains were buried "due to a mistake committed by the official translator of Indian Consulate, Jeddah, who wrongly mentioned his religion as 'Muslim' in the death certificate".
"Officers of the Consulate are on visit to Governorate, Jizan to expedite exhumation of mortal remains," it added.
The family had also filed a case in Delhi High Court seeking repatriation of mortal remains to India.