AI 171: A tragedy, a secret, and a family searching for closure

Ahmedabad: For Rafiq Mohammad, a 45-year-old taxi driver from union territory Diu, the clock stopped on June 12 last year when he lost his 25-year-old son Faizan in the devastating plane crash. But the months that followed brought not just the pain of bereavement, but a revelation that shattered the family’s understanding of the son they thought they knew.

Faizan, who had spent the past five years pursuing higher studies in the United Kingdom, had returned to Diu for dental treatment and was on his way back when the aircraft went down. A year later, his father still struggles to accept the absence of his elder son.

“Faizan had big dreams. My younger son, who is now 20, is still in shock. He still waits for his brother to come back any day. I still cannot believe it has already been a year since the incident,” Rafiq says.

The family’s grief took an unexpected turn when they began completing paperwork for compensation. It was then that authorities informed them that Faizan had secretly married a woman in Gujarat six months before his death — a fact he had never shared with his family.

“We came to know about the marriage only when the compensation form was filled out by his wife,” Rafiq recalls.

The revelation soon developed into a dispute over compensation. According to Rafiq, airline representatives and authorities told the family that the compensation amount would be shared between Faizan’s wife and his parents if both parties reached an agreement.

However, Rafiq says the family had no means of contacting the woman and repeatedly sought clarity from officials. “We kept calling them and later started sending emails because they would only respond through email. We wanted to know what was happening,” he says.

Weeks of uncertainty ended with an email that brought another blow. “A week ago, we received a message saying that my son’s wife had already been compensated by the airline and the Tata Group. We received nothing,” Rafiq says.

The financial strain has added to the family’s emotional burden. A taxi driver by profession, Rafiq says he has been struggling to manage household expenses while coping with the loss of his son.

“It was heartbreaking to know that my son hid such a big thing from me. The pain of losing him was enough, and then this happened,” he says.