US embassy grants emergency visa to father of Nilam Shinde after urgent plea
The US embassy has granted an emergency visa to the father of Nilam Shinde, a 35-year-old Indian-origin woman from Maharashtra, who is currently in a coma after being hit by a vehicle in California, reported gujaratsamachar.com.
The family struggled to secure a visa until urgent intervention from Indian authorities and political leaders.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in India intervened after the Shinde family appealed for assistance.
The emergency visa interview for her father, Tanaji Shinde, was scheduled for 9 am on Friday, enabling him to travel to the United States to be by his critically injured daughter’s side.
Shinde, a Master of Science student in her final year, suffered multiple fractures and severe head and chest injuries after being struck by a four-wheeler. The hospital treating her urgently required family consent for brain surgery, increasing the family’s desperation to reach the US.
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The hospital continues to provide daily updates, but the family grew frustrated as the earliest visa appointment available was next year
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With the emergency visa now secured, the family hopes to reach California and provide emotional support during this critical time
“We got to know about the accident on February 16 and have been trying for a visa since then. But we haven’t got it yet,” her father said while speaking to NDTV.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule took up the matter, urging External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to intervene and expedite the visa process. Sule, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), called for immediate action and expressed gratitude for the prompt response from the MEA.
“This is an alarming issue, and we all need to come together to resolve it. I have been in constant touch with the family and assuring them that this will be sorted out,” Sule told, acknowledging the MEA’s consistent efforts to assist Indians abroad.
Shinde’s uncle, Sanjay Kadam, recounted how the family learned of the accident from her roommates, who informed them that local police had admitted her to the hospital. He expressed the family’s anxiety over the visa delay, which had caused immense emotional distress as Shinde remains in a coma.
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