Recently, Priyanka Choprawas on tour of the US and Canada. However, once the US leg of the tour was over and while the rest of the entourage moved to neighboring Canada, one of the crew members Jiban Patra, failed to get the required visa and stayed back in Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, on April 7, the 41 year old Jiban was found dead in his Beverly Hills hotel room.
But ever since his corpse was uncovered, it has been languishing at the mortuary.
The Los Angeles Police Department, which is investigating the case, has registered a case of unnatural death and an initial inquest has pegged the immediate cause of death as heart attack. Despite the investigation being underway, the police department issued a clearance for the body to be brought back to India; however the process is caught in a so-called logistical muddle.
Apparently the obstacle being faced is the transporting of the body which is pegged with a cost of approximately $15,000. Though sources state that Priyanka’s team is in contact with the Indian Embassy to try and work out a solution. On the other hand, the Oriya community (Jiban is from Orissa) in the US has initiated a parallel dialogue with the Embassy and instituted a fund in his name to expedite the passage.
A source from the US said, “Jiban has two kids and a wife back in Mumbai and they have been in constant touch with Priyanka Chopra’s office to arrange for his body to be brought back home. But nothing has worked out so far. The death was also hush-hush till the Indian community took it up strongly and put pressure on Priyanka to arrange for Jiban’s passage to India. It is a tragic case as he is the only earning member of the family and lost his father to heart attack last year.”
Even as the bereaved family waits for the Embassy and PeeCee to arrive at a consensus, the Oriya community (Jiban is from Orissa) in the US has initiated a parallel dialogue with the Embassy and instituted a fund in his name to expedite the passage. Online community pages are also appealing for help.
“…We are requesting Priyanka Chopra’s team to take the responsibility to send the body to Orissa. The family at India was helpless and no one speaks English/Hindi. We are in contact with PC’s team and also the LA-Coroner police department and updating the family. After Jiban’s death his family is devastated and will face an immediate financial disaster. There is no one there to help them…” says the appeal that has been put up on the website of the Orissa Society of the Americans.
A source from the US confirmed that all necessary paperwork and legal authorization has been done for the body to be transported to India.
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