Rejecting reports that it had not been helpful over the death of a student from Bangalore in Kentucky, the Indian embassy here has said that it got into action as soon as the news was brought to its attention and made arrangements for handing over of the body to relatives.

Detailing the steps it took, the mission said it received information about the death of 20-year-old Mahesh Subramanian on January 21 through Vijaya of East West Travels, who was approached by his relatives in Cincinnati to seek assistance from the embassy.

The embassy said it established contact with Subramanian’s relatives on January 21 itself. The following day, it said, it got in touch with the Evance Funeral Home and again on January 25, conveying the details of the documents required for facilitating the dispatch of the body to Bangalore.

The Funeral Home, however, could send the documents by FEDEX only on January 30 as they were waiting for the post-mortem report/death certificate and after receiving the papers in the embassy, they were duly processed and returned on January 31 to the Funeral Home. To expedite arrangements, one set of the documents was simultaneously faxed to the Funeral Home.

On receipt of these documents the body left on February 4 evening and reached Bangalore on February 7 around noon, the embassy maintained while rejecting media reports in India that it had not been helpful. Senior University officials, including the Chief of Public Safety, and the Coroner’s Office said the cause of the death of the Indian student is still undetermined and would have to wait for the autopsy report which is expected in six weeks time.