Among victims, British citizen with Surat roots who had come home for Eid, BJP leader headed to London to meet daughter

Indian Express

21 hours ago

Earlier this month, Abdulla Nanabawa of Surat received a pleasant surprise. His son Akeel, daughter-in-law Haana, and three-year-old granddaughter Sara – all British citizens – had flown down to India on the occasion of Eid.
Early on Thursday morning, Akeel and his family left their Surat home to reach Ahmedabad to catch the flight back to London.
A little before 2pm, as news of a plane crashing minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport trickled in, the Nanabawa family began fearing the worst. In some time, the fears were confirmed – Akeel and his family were on the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner that was involved in the accident.
Rashid Mansuri, a relative of the Nanabawa family, told The Indian Express, 'We learnt about the incident through news channels. Along with Abdulla and a few other family members, I have left for Ahmedabad. We don't know whether Akeel and his family are alive or dead.'
Family sources said that Akeel had not told anyone about his plans to come to Surat to celebrate Bakrid, which fell on June 6 this year.
'He straightaway showed up at his home on the day of Eid. We were all surprised. Abdulla and others were delighted…' the sources added.
Sources said while Abdulla has been residing at his ancestral home in Surat's Haripura area for the last 15 years, his four sons, including Akeel, were based in London. All four had British citizenship.
Another family that was on board the ill-fated flight was the Halanis from Anand district in Central Gujarat. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Badruddin Halani (65), his wife Yasmin (60), and his sister-in-law Halani Malekben Rajabali (55) were on the flight.
Badruddin was going to London to meet his daughter, sources close to the family added. 'Every year, he visits London and stays there for a couple of months, spending time with his daughter and grandchildren,' said one of them.
Badruddin was earlier settled in Vapi in Valsad where he was involved in some business, said sources. A couple of years ago, Badruddin left Vapi and settled in his native place in Anand. While his son looks after his business now, Badruddin has been involved in social work related to education, said the sources.
Family sources stated that Badruddin had been associated with the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, a wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), for the past 40 years. He had earlier served as the director of the Gujarat State Wakf Committee. More recently, he was a member of the Gujarat State BJP Muslim Wing Coordination Committee, they said.
He was also a founding committee member and president of the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Military Academy (Sainik School), established two years ago near Silvassa in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.