In shocking news, the 39 Indians who were kidnapped in Iraq by terror outfit ISIS four years ago, have been confirmed dead. Addressing the parliament, India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj broke the news saying, “With full proof I can say these 39 are dead. We wanted to give the families closure only after concrete proof.” She said that it was confirmed on Monday, that the DNA of 38 had matched remains found underneath a mound, one of many in and around Mosul and Badush after their liberation from ISIS. One body was a 70 per cent match.
“We used a deep penetration satellite... It had exactly 39 bodies with distinctive features like long hair, Sikh kadas, non-Iraqi shoes and IDs. It was a difficult task to get the proof. It was a pile of bodies. To track down the bodies of our people and to take them to Baghdad for DNA tests was a huge task,” Swaraj said. She also commended her junior, Minister of State VK Singh for supervising the challenging job.
Soon after the announcement, the Opposition verbally attacked the minister, with the Congress accusing the government of giving false hopes to the families of the deceased, and misleading the nation. Swaraj had last year told the parliament that until evidence suggested otherwise, the workers would be presumed alive.
Congress lawmaker Ghulam Nabi Azad reminded her that she had “assured us last year that the Indians were alive.” VK Singh responded saying, “We never misled anyone. We said unless we have evidence, we cannot declare them dead.” The victims were construction workers from Punjab, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, and Bengal. They were taken hostage when the IS invaded Mosul in 2014. They were caught trying to leave the city. One of the workers, Harjit Masih from Punjab, managed to escape after posing as a Muslim. He claimed that he saw his compatriots executed, but the government rejected the statement. He also said that he was harassed by the Central government.
In a press conference held later in the day, Swaraj said 27 of the 39 were from Punjab, six from Bihar, four from Himachal Pradesh, and two from West Bengal. Referring to criticism, she said she followed parliamentary procedures. “It was my duty to first inform the House. I never gave any false hope to anyone. I was not involved in any falsehood... she said, referring to her statements in Parliament in 2014 and 2017. I had very clearly said that I will declare them dead if I get conclusive proof. I kept my word. I will get my closure when the families receive the bodies.”
Not just the opposition, the minister faced flak from families of the deceased, with several of them claiming that they got the news from the television. Family of Gobinder Singh, one of those killed in Mosul, said they were hopeful that one day he would walk back through the entrance of their home. He is survived by a 19 year old son and a 17 year old daughter. His grieving brother Davinder Singh said, “He left home and went to Iraq in 2014 to earn money for the family. He wanted his son Amandeep to study and become an engineer. The news of Gobinder's death has left our family completely shattered. The family came to know about Gobinder Singh's death from news channels. We have not yet received any call from the Union ministry about the confirmation of death of 39 Indians.” He added, “We request the government to announce financial help and give a government job to the son of Gobinder Singh so that he can take care of his family.”
Meanwhile, Swaraj dismissed Masih's statements of being harassed by the government. When asked if families of the victims will be given compensation, she said she would talk to the concerned state governments. The first person whose death was confirmed through DNA matching, was a person called Sandeep. The one whose DNA matched only 70 per cent, had lost his parents and his DNA was matched with other family members. “The Congress indulged in very cheap level of politics and crossed the limit. Will we indulge in politics over death as well,” Swaraj said.
