Indians killed in Iraq: Bid on to fly in bodies

Centre says it will take a week to hand over mortal remains to kin.

Harrowing times: Sukhwinder Kaur (left), whose son Manjinder Singh was killed in Iraq, being consoled by a relative at Bhowall, near Amritsar, on Wednesday.

 

The remains of the 39 Indians killed by the Islamic State in Iraq will arrive in a week, government sources reiterated on Wednesday, to clear the confusion between officials of Punjab and the Union government.

The response came after the Nawanagar administration announced that the remains of two victims from the district would reach Amritsar on Wednesday.

“Minister of State for External Affairs General (retired) V.K. Singh informed me that the remains would take about a week to reach India. The State government is making all arrangements to hand over the remains to the families for the last rites,” Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh told reporters. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Tuesday that the government would send Mr. Singh to Iraq to bring the remains back.

The Chief Minister’s statement came hours after the office of the Nawanagar District Commissioner announced that the remains of Parwinder and Jasveer, hailing from the district, would reach the Amritsar airport on Wednesday morning. Following this, their family members reached the airport. However, the Amritsar District Commissioner told The Hindu that the statement from Nawanagar was the result of a “hyperactive” decision by officials.

“Given the sensitivities attached to the tragedy, some of our officials acted in a hurry, which caused the confusion. We have received orders to remain on alert to receive the remains within a week, but officials in Nawanagar misunderstood it,” said a district official in Amritsar.

“The family members of the two men from Nawanagar were taken to the Amritsar airport based on wrong information. They returned home, but the experience amounted to more torture,” said Gurpinder Kaur, whose brother is one of the victims.