NRI survivor of Delhi HC blast gets certificate to fly home

Nitin Mandalus, an NRI survivor of the 2011 Delhi High Court blast, can now return to Canada after being given a medical cerificate explaining the presence of metal pieces embedded in his body. [caption id=“attachment_222474” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Mandalus had more than 600 pieces of metal in his body due to the blast. Reuters”]  [/caption] The blast in September last year left more than 800 metal shrapnel in Mandalus’ body. When he tried returning home, no airline allowed him to board a flight without a medical certificate explaining the presence of metal pieces in his body. The Delhi High Court had taken suo moto cognizance of Mandalus’ case after it was reported in the media. The court had asked union and state governments to respond in the matter. On Wednesday, the Union government told the court that Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital has prepared a certificate explaining the condition of Mandalus, a 37-year-old software engineer, who shifted to Canada three years ago. “The medical certificate has been readied by the RML Hospital and it can be collected from the hospital medical superintendent anytime now. The certificate will enable him to travel anywhere and there will be no issues with immigration,” Jatan Singh, standing counsel for the Union government, told The Indian Express . Initially, Mandalus had 822 shrapnel pieces stuck in his body. After four surgeries, he still has more than 600 such pieces embedded in his body. The report says that when Mandalus approached the Canadian High Commission, he was told by the officials that he could be arrested in Canada for the offence of possessing metallic objects with him. High Court also asked All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to create a medical board to examine the victims who are not satisfied with the compensation given to them, a report in The Times of India said.