The family of A. Pavan Kumar, the Cognizant Technology Solutions employee who was found dead at a motel in New Jersey on June 19, is not ready to accept his body unless the U.S. authorities provide them with the official documents pertaining to his death as well as the murder case in which he is a suspect.
“If we are not provided with the documents before his body is despatched, we will take the body from the airport, place it in front of the Bangalore office of Cognizant Technology Solutions and stage a protest. A couple of organisations have assured us of their support. Besides, hundreds of people from our hometown of Pavagada in Tumkur district will join the demonstration. The company has to ensure that we get the documents,” Pavan’s uncle K.P. Gopalakrishna told The Hindu on Saturday. He claimed Pavan’s father, P. Anjaiah, had signed the documents needed to get the body from the U.S. and officials had informed the family it could arrive here on Monday.
However, Raghavendra Shastri, Adviser to External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, said the family was yet to sign the document and hand it over to the authorities. The funeral home in the U.S. wants a letter of authorisation to hand over the body. “Once, it reaches us, we will ensure that the body reaches Bangalore in 48 hours. The officials have made all arrangements to bring the body to Bangalore,” Mr. Shastri told The Hindu. In a statement on Saturday, a Cognizant spokesperson said Pavan’s family and two lawyers had met them on Friday evening. The family had insisted the company take ownership for obtaining details of Pavan’s personal loans, a copy of the suicide note and bank balance details, among other things, to which the firm simply does not have access rights. In addition, the family wanted Cognizant to sponsor a visit to the U.S. by two of its members and advisers.
‘Frequent demands’
The statement said the company’s senior leadership had “worked tirelessly” and liaised with multiple agencies, including the Medical Examiner’s Office, District Attorney, Indian Consulate in New York, and the funeral home, and the company was surprised with the “frequent demands made by the family, some as a precondition to allowing the return of Pavan’s body”.
Keywords: Pavan Kumar murder case
I have my full sympathy to the bereaved family. But putting all the responsibility and implying blame for their son's personal matters at company's door step is not proper. To call people from home village and make a dharna in front of the office of the company with laying the dead body at their gate is too much.
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