Georgia restaurant deaths: Ludhiana man died on his birthday while family waited for reply to wishes

Speaking to The Indian Express, Sameer’s father Rajesh Kumar said, “His mother spoke to him on the midnight of December 13 and wished him. He told her there was a power outage in Gudauri due to a heavy snowstorm, so they had to arrange mini gensets. All the Punjabi boys living together were sleeping in a hall and shut the doors due to the storm. Apparently, there was a shortage of oxygen.”

“However, on the morning of December 14, when we again wished him birthday, there was no reply. This had never happened before. We then somehow arranged the contact number of his employer, and the employer informed us that 12 of his staffers, including my son, were found dead,” the father added.

“The situation at home is dire; my mother is in shock. We urge the Government of India to assist us so we can perform the last rites as soon as possible,” said Gurdeep, Sameer’s brother. (Express Image)

Rajesh Kumar, who resides in the Billa Wali Chappri area of Khanna town, added that he had contacted the local district administration and the embassy officials in Delhi to help him in bringing back the mortal remains of his son for last rites. Sameer is survived by his parents, a brother and a married sister.

Sameer’s brother Gurdeep Kumar, who works at a private firm, also recounted how they waited all day on December 14 for Sameer’s response to their birthday wishes, but it never came.

“We tried everything—calls, messages—but all our messages remained unread. The entire day passed, and so did the night. We began to worry when there was still no reply the next morning, December 15. We eventually searched for the restaurant owner’s number online, and that’s when we learned about the tragedy,” said Gurdeep, who added that his brother had gone to Georgia to support the family financially.

Gurdeep said that though they had been assured that Sameer’s body would be sent back home after autopsy, “the process was extremely delayed”.

“The situation at home is dire; my mother is in shock. We urge the Government of India to assist us so we can perform the last rites as soon as possible,” said Gurdeep.

“We never anticipated that it would be his last birthday. Our mother had wished him a happy birthday over a video call, but none of us could wish him on that final occasion,” he added.

Though the Embassy of India in the Georgian capital Tbilisi said 11 Indian nationals died in Gudauri, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Congress MP from Amritsar, said the 12 victims were all Indians.

According to Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, the incident was being treated as a case of negligent loss of life under Article 116 of the country’s criminal code.