April 02, 2018: The mortal remains of 38 of the 39 Indians, killed by the Islamic State terrorists in Iraq, have reached Amritsar from Baghdad. Minister of State for External Affairs, General V K Singh brought back the mortal remains in a special plane today. Addressing the media at Airport, he said, the government made all out efforts to bring them back alive but ISIS terrorists killed them.
The Minister said, he visited Iraq four times for them. Gen Singh also thanked the Iraqi authorities for their co-operation in identifying and handing over the bodies to India. He said, government was not aware of their whereabouts of these workers as they went to Iraq by illegal means. He also appealed to youth to go abroad for jobs through legal means and beware of illegal immigration agents.
Talking to media, Punjab Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu announced to give exgratia of 5 lakh rupees and job to one family member of each deceased from Punjab. Mr Sidhu said, the issue of illegal immigration Agents will be discussed in the Cabinet and with the help of Centre, steps will be taken to check them.
Meanwhile, the mortal remains of 27 Punjabi and 4 Himachali men were handed over to their family members, which were taken to their native towns or villages in the Ambulances, specially arranged by the government for it.
Gen V K Singh said, the body of 39th worker was not released by Iraqi authorities as the DNA matching was only 70 percent. Later he left for Kolkata and Patna to hand over the mortal remains of remaining workers.
General Singh had reached Baghdad yesterday. Talking to reporters in Baghdad, he condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and expressed the government’s stance in fighting the menace.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had recently told Parliament that 40 Indians were abducted by the terror group from Mosul in Iraq in June 2014, but one of them escaped posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh. The remaining 39 Indians were taken to Badoosh and killed. The remains were later found in a mass grave on the outskirts of Mosul. (AIR News)
