Minister of State- External Affairs, Dr. V.K.Singh had earlier stated that it will take eight to ten days for the bodies to return.
Bangalore, March 22, 2018: Uncertainty over the return of the bodies of the 39 Indians, who were found dead in Iraq’s Mosul, continues to persist as families allege that they have received no support from the government.
A reporter from a reputed Indian news organization, yesterday, tweeted, “A day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that remains of 39 Indians will be brought back by deputy minister, V.K.Singh, bodies are beginning to land in Amritsar airport. Ambulance and officials present in airport to receive remains of two victims due to arrive in the morning.”
However, confusion continued to persist and the families were reportedly sent back from the airport. The district administration had, also, sent back the vehicles from the airport.
This comes after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and the Indian Embassy in Baghdad confirmed that the 39 Indian construction workers, who went missing in June 2014, were found dead in a mass grave in Badush near Mosul in Iraq.
Swaraj, in the press conference on Tuesday, said, “We have decided that we will bring back these dead bodies as soon as possible. I have just spoken to my ambassador to immediately complete the formalities to bring the bodies back and also to get the coffins prepared immediately.”
She added after completing the formalities, an airplane, with General V.K.Singh, will get the bodies back. The flight will not be landing in Delhi but in Amritsar or Jalandhar, where the remains of the victims from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, will be handed over to their families following which the airplane will fly to Patna and Kolkata.
27 of the deceased were from Punjab, six from Bihar, four from Himachal Pradesh and two from West Bengal.
