The mortal remains of 38 Indian construction workers captured and killed by the Islamic State group in northern Iraq were handed over to Indian authorities in Baghdad and flown home on Monday.
The aircraft carrying the mortal remains landed at Amritsar airport at 2:30 p.m.
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MoS for External Affairs V.K Singh addresses media
Minister of State for External Affairs Gen (Retd.) V.K. Singh addressed the media after landing in Amritsar. Gen. Singh travelled to Iraq on Sunday morning aboard a special flight to bring back the remains. They were declared dead last week.
He said:
"It's a moment of grief as we have returned with remains of the loved ones. The Martyrs foundation of Iraq worked very hard to identify the remains. This is my fourth trip to Iraq.
''Announcements were made on TV and radio for all Indians. None of the 40 Indian men had a record in the Embassy of India because they went via illegal agents.
"Do not trust Harjit Masih's version.
"We brought back 40 nurses from Iraq. The condition in which Mosul was such that neither you nor us could have brought back these men at that time [in 2014].
"Total number of coffins that I brought is 38. The DNA of victim Raju Yadav of Bihar could not be identified. We could not bring him back."
Relatives stage dharna at airport
Relatives of the workers arrived at the airport around noon and have since then sat in dharna at the cargo gate after the authorities said that they would not be allowed to see the remains at all and the government would ensure a quick cremation under official supervision.
"Relatives are unhappy over no announcements of government support to families despite passing of a fortnight since announcement by Minister Sushma Swaraj," Gurpreet Singh, cousin of victim Ranjeet Singh of Amritsar's Manawala village, said.
Ranjeet was the only breadwinner and his mother is left to fend for herself in his absence.
Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu was also at the airport. "We share the pain of the families. I am here representing Captain Amarinder Singh," he said.
