AMRITSAR: Cabinet minister
Navjot Singh Sidhu will receive the mortal remains of Indians scheduled to arrive at Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Das International(SGRDI) airport on Monday afternoon.
While talking to TOI on Sunday, Navjot Singh Sidhu informed that he had been directed by chief minister Captain
Amarinder Singh to receive mortal remains of Indians on behalf of state government .
Thirty nine Indians were shot dead by IS near
Mosul city of Iraq in June 2014.
He informed that
Himachal Pradesh government was also sending one of its minister to receive bodies of HP natives at SGRDI airport.
“I will reach early Monday morning at airport to monitor the arrangements and ensure that there was no inconvenience to anyone," he said.
Notably after confirmation of death of all the 39 Indians in Iraq by external affairs minister
Sushma Swaraj on March 20, the relatives had been waiting to receive their bodies so they could perform their last rites according to religious practices.
Minister of state for external affairs VK Singh had gone to Iraq to transport the mortal remains of the Indians by air to Amritsar.
While stating that state government would do everything for the rehabilitation of the families whose sole bread winner were killed by militants, Sidhu said, “We will do everything possible for them”. However, he refused to divulge the compensation package that could be announced for the kin of victims.
Resident of Chawinda Devi Hira Lal, brother of Sonu, one of the Punjabi killed by IS said, “We have already lost our earning family member, we are satisfied that government has at least done its bit by bringing back their bodies but we want that government should announce the compensation tomorrow only," said Hira adding that Sonu’s wife had been doing menial jobs to arrange for two square meals for the family including her two sons Karan and Arjun.
He said they would do the cremation of his brother by Monday late afternoon.
Gurpinder Kaur whose brother Manjinder Singh was also one among 39 Indians killed by IS said that all the families wanted both state and Centre to announce compensation immediately so there was some solace and security for their future.
About cremation, she said it depends when they would reach their village . “If we are late then we will do cremation on Tuesday,” she said.
Meanwhile heavy security arrangements have been made by district administration in the vicinity of SGRDI airport.
