JUST IN
You are here: Home » Current Affairs » News » National

Employees of Indian firms have higher data literacy level: Qilk survey
Business Standard

39 Indians killed in Iraq's Mosul; govt didn't listen to survivor in 2015

As many as 40 Indians were originally abducted by the terrorist organisation ISIS in June 2014 from Mosul in Iraq but one of them escaped by posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh

BS Web Team  |  New Delhi 

Sushma Swaraj
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Tuesday that 39 Indians kidnapped by the Islamic State terror group in Iraq's Mosul in 2014 are dead

All the 39 Indians who were abducted by ISIS in Iraq nearly three years ago were killed, and their bodies had been recovered, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Tuesday. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh will be flying to Iraq to bring back their mortal remains to India on a special flight.

As many as 40 Indians were originally abducted by the terrorist organisation ISIS in June 2014 from Mosul in Iraq but one of them escaped by posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh, Swaraj said in a suo motu statement in the Rajya Sabha. The remaining 39 Indians were taken to Badoosh and killed.

Search operations led to a mound in Badoosh where locals said some bodies were buried by the ISIS. Deep penetration radars were used to establish that the mound indeed was a mass grave, Swaraj said, adding that the Indian authorities requested their Iraqi counterparts to exhume the bodies.

Swaraj said the mass grave had exactly 39 bodies, with distinctive features like long hair, non-Iraqi shoes, and IDs. The bodies were then sent to Baghdad for DNA testing.

DNA testing by Martyrs Foundation has established the identity of 38 Indians while there has been 70 per cent matching of the DNA for the 39th person, she said. Here are the top 10 developments around the killing of the 39 Indians in Iraq's Mosul by the ISIS: 1) Hopes of families of those killed in Iraq dashed The news of death of two youths from this district, who were among the 39 missing Indians in Iraq, has shell-shocked their family members in villages Jaitpur and Chhauni Kalan.

Kamaljit Singh of village Chhauni Kalan went to Iraq in 2014 to earn for his family, his younger brother Parwinder Singh Lucky said. Kamaljit Singh is survived by wife Harwinder Kaur, a son and a daughter, he said. The family approached Sushma Swaraj, Union External Affairs Minister, nine times to know about the fate of Kamaljit Singh, Lucky said claiming "she did not given a suitable reply".

1) Why government didn't accept earlier that all were dead: Mosul survivor

He said they all were killed in front of his eyes. "I am wondering why the government was not accepting what I had said earlier." However, Sushma Swaraj dismissed his claims during her statement in the Rajya Sabha. "He was not willing to tell me how he escaped," she said. Narrating the incident, Masih, 28, said the Indians were kidnapped by the militants and they were kept hostage. After some days, the militants indiscriminately fired at them. "I was fortunate to manage to escape from the clutches of the militants despite getting a bullet injury," he said.

2) I had been saying all 39 others were dead: Lone survivor Harjit Masih

Harjit Masih, the lone survivor who had managed to flee from ISIS captivity in Iraq in June 2014 following his abduction along with 39 other Indians there, today said he had been maintaining for the last three years that all others had been killed. "I had been saying for the last three years that all 39 Indians had been killed (by ISIS militants)," Masih today said. "I had spoken the truth," asserted Masih, resident of village Kala Afghana in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. Masih was one of the 40 Indian workers abducted by ISIS militant outfit.

3) Swaraj denies harassment of lone survivor from Iraq

Sushma Swaraj has dismissed the allegations that the lone survivor, Harjit Masih, who escaped from Iraq's Mosul, was harassed and kept in a protective custody. While addressing the media on the issue of 39 Indians killed in Mosul, Swaraj on Tuesday said, "It is baseless that Harjit Masih was harassed, he was kept in protective custody. I had said this in Parliament earlier."

4) Sushma should have informed us first: Family

Sushma Swaraj should have informed the aggrieved families about the death of the 39 Indians by the Islamic State in Iraq before "exploding the bomb on us" in Parliament. This was the emotional outburst of one of Swaran Singh, whose kin was among the 39 kidnapped and massacred by the Islamic State in Iraq's Mosul in 2014. "This is nothing less than brutality to the families who were waiting for the safe return of their boys. The minister should have called us before exploding the bomb on us," Singh told reporters. Singh said the government earlier trusted on unreliable sources and maintained that they were safe and were held hostage at an undisclosed place. "Later, through another unreliable resource, the government said they were held hostage in a mosque. But again it was proved wrong," he added.

5) Left slams govt for not informing families first: The CPI (M) lashed out at the government for not informing the families of the Mosul victims before informing Parliament. CPI (M) member of Lok Sabha Mohammad Salim said it showed how "insensitive and inhuman" the government is.

"It is a farce. The government should have contacted the families of the victims first before Parliament was informed. Earlier, the government had always claimed that it was in touch with the families. So many times we see that policies of the government are announced outside Parliament even though the House is in session," Salim told reporters. He also added that the government could not call the opposition insensitive as it had not been able to perform its own duty.

6) Rahul condoles deaths of Indians in Iraq Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday expressed his deepest condolence to the families of 39 Indians, killed in Iraq by the Islamic State (IS).

Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter and said, "I'm shocked to hear that 39 Indians who were in captivity since 2014, in Iraq, are now confirmed dead. My deepest condolences to the families of those who have lived in hope, that their loved ones will return unharmed. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you today."

7) 'Sushma Swaraj kept her promise': On being questioned about the death of 39 Indians in Mosul, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh told news agencies that everything took time. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had stated that she would not declare them dead until there was a strong proof. "She kept her promise," the MoS said, adding, "No one was misled. It is the job of the Opposition to take everything in the wrong way."

8) Facts had to be verified due to differing news: Minister V K Singh added that since different news had emerged from different angles, an "effort was made to verify facts by going there, then DNA matching was done". The MoS said that the external affairs minister had earlier said that until there was strong proof that the 39 Indians were dead, she would not inform the House.

9) Families mourn deceased kin: The families of the deceased who had been waiting for years for the news on the fate of their kin, mourned the loss of their dear and loved ones on Tuesday. In Amritsar, the family of Manjinder Singh, who was among the 39 Indians killed in Iraq, mourned his death after receiving the news.

Gurpinder Kaur, the sister of Manjinder Singh, told news agencies that for the past 4 years, the external affairs minister had been telling her that the missing Indians were alive. "... Don't know what to believe anymore. I am waiting to speak with her," she said, adding, "... No information was given to us... we heard the statement she made in Parliament."

In Jalandhar, the brother of an Indian national who was killed in Iraq's Mosul, told news agencies: "We had got information that my brother was abducted by terrorists, after that nothing was known about his whereabouts. My DNA test was done twice, but we received no information."

10) Amarinder Singh expresses grief: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday expressed grief over the death of Indians kidnapped by the Islamic State in Iraq's Mosul in 2014. Shattered over the heart-wrenching news that the 39 Indians missing in Iraq, most of whom were Punjabis, are dead," the Chief Minister said in a tweet, adding, "My heart goes out to the families who had been living in hope since their reported abduction by ISIS in 2014. Prayers with all of them." Congress demands government jobs for kin of deceased: Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad, told news agencies that his party offered its condolences to the families of those killed in Iraq. "We are with their families in this painful and sad time," Azad said, adding, "It is our demand that they should be given financial assistance by central and state governments and also employment in government service." Shashi Tharoor asks why govt gave families 'high hopes': Commenting on the death of 39 Indians in Iraq's Mosul, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor told news agencies that the news was "saddening for every Indian". Tharoor said that he would like to ask why this information was delayed by the government. "... They (government) should tell how it happened, when they died," the Congress leader said, adding, "Also, the way government gave high hopes to the families was not right." Bodies sent to Baghdad: Swaraj said that the mortal remains of the 39 Indians were sent to Baghdad. She added that for verification of the bodies, the DNA samples of relatives were sent there. Further, Swaraj said that four state governments -- Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar -- were involved. Identity of 38 Indians already established: DNA testing by Martyrs Foundation has established the identity of 38 Indians while there has been 70 per cent matching of the DNA for the 39th person, said Swaraj. 22 of the 39 Indians killed by ISIS were from Punjab It had been over four years that 39 Indians went missing in Iraq's Mosul town when it was overrun by the Islamic State. Among them, 22 were from Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, and Jalandhar in Punjab. Their families continued to swing between the hope of the men being found alive and fear that they will hear the worst. After Mosul was freed from the clutches of the Islamic State in July, there was hope that the missing Indians will be found. However, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, during his India visit in July, said he was not sure if the men were alive or not. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had earlier assured the families, who have met her several times, that all efforts were being made to trace the missing men, who had been held hostage in Iraq's Mosul town by terror outfit ISIS in June 2014. The affected families, who are all from poor backgrounds mostly from rural areas of Punjab, had said that they could do nothing else but pin their hopes on the government and the minister's assurances. A man from Punjab, Harjit Masih, who escaped from the clutches of ISIS in June 2014 had claimed that all 39 Indians had been killed. However, Sushma Swaraj had maintained that there was no information confirming that the Indians were dead. DNA samples were taken in October last year The families of the 39 Indians who went missing in Iraq's Mosul in June 2014 had been asked to provide their DNA samples but were given no reason, their kin had told news agencies in October. The families of some of the missing Indians from Amritsar district were asked to go to the Government Medical College in Amritsar to give DNA samples.
With agency inputs

First Published: Tue, March 20 2018. 22:24 IST

PREVIOUS STORY

NEXT STORY
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Advertisements