Visitant turns morgue resident

Visitant turns morgue resident
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: Remember Steven Speilberg’s The Terminal? And Viktor Navorski’s predicament when he realises that he’s been stranded in NYC’s JFK airport with a passport from nowhere as his homeland in Eastern Europe has erupted in a fiery coup while he was in the air en route to America?
Kirlov Sergiy’s fate is somewhat similar. Born in the erstwhile USSR, he identified himself as a Russian when he arrived in Goa sometime in the summer of 2006. The 60-year-old stayed at Arambol, Pernem, for a few months before he committed suicide on August 8, 2006.
That’s when the trouble began. With his passport missing, the police relied on Sergiy’s personal note-book and ‘C’ form (which is filled up while renting a room) to establish his nationality and subsequently approached the Russian authorities. But the Russians refused to have anything to do with the matter, saying Sergiy was not one of their citizens. Then there was speculation that he might be a Kazakhistan citizen.
Only recently, the police stumbled upon his passport and have realised that Sergiy was from Odeca in Ukraine. Although the deceased liked to call himself Russian, that country had stopped recognising his nationality after Ukraine attained independence in 1991.
“We have established his identity and are awaiting intimation from the home department for disposal of the body,” said North Goa SP, Bosco George.
Though his file was moved in December 2007 by the police, Sergyi’s body remains to be lodged at GMC’s crowded morgue. GMC’s forensic department head Silvano Sapeco recently wrote to the police requesting them to expedite the disposal of the unclaimed body.
But till the police do so, the visitor will remain to be a resident of GMC morgue.

2008 May 10 Times Of India Goa