3 min readMumbaiApr 19, 2026 07:00 AM IST
Forty-eight days after he was killed in a missile strike off the coast of Oman, the last rites of Indian sailor Dixit Solanki, a resident of Kandivali, Mumbai, were performed at the Dhanukarwadi cremation ground in Kandivali West on Saturday in the presence of close family members.
Solanki had died on March 1, 2025, on a merchant vessel in West Asia, making him the first Indian casualty of the ongoing conflict in the region. His remains reached Mumbai only on April 5, more than a month after his death.
“We finally laid him to rest today,” said his sister, Mitali Solanki, after the cremation held around 11 am. She added that the family struggled for weeks to establish the identity of the remains.
The family said they will hold a prayer ceremony next week.
The DNA report from the Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratories, Kalina, Mumbai, seen by The Indian Express, stated, “Black-coloured debris containing charred pieces (porous, brittle in nature) along with ash, garbage (like thin metallic wire, thermocol balls, etc.) having organic smell and oily in nature in one unsealed casket labelled Human Remains of Dixit Amratlal Solanki, Indian From Sharjah (UAΕ) to Bombay (India).”
Fifteen charred pieces were collected from one unsealed casket but “no amplifiable DNA is obtained” from any of them, it stated.
“We tried our best to find evidence whether it was Dixit’s remains or not, but nothing worked out. Officials informed us that DNA testing is typically not feasible in cases where remains are reduced to skeletal, charred bones. We were told that at this stage, DNA tests are usually not done, but since there was a court order, the authorities carried it out,” she said.
The family had reached out to multiple authorities, including the Prime Minister’s Office, Directorate General of Shipping, V Ships India Pvt Ltd, and officials from the Indian embassy and consulate in Dubai regarding the return of the remains of Dixit since March 1.
The remains were handed over to the family on April 5, at Mumbai airport cargo terminal after being flown in from Sharjah. The family is yet to receive all the belongings of Solanki.
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The family had reached out to multiple authorities, including the Prime Minister’s Office, Directorate General of Shipping, V Ships India Pvt Ltd, and officials from the Indian embassy and consulate in Dubai regarding the return of the remains of Dixit since March 1.
However, intimation came only after the family approached the Bombay High Court with an urgent plea, citing over a month delay and lack of communication from authorities. The remains were dispatched within three days after the petition was filed.
The family said they will hold a prayer ceremony next week.
