Mosul Kidnapping: government lied to us says victims’ families

Without any warnings or hints, Sushma Swaraj had announced the status of the 39 Indians who were trapped in Iraq-dead; killed by the ISIS.

Although the news will finally give a closure to the victims’ relatives, one has to question whether it was the right decision? Shouldn’t the kin come to know of the news first? That too personally, although that might be asking too much; rather than announcing it on via national channels.

This is from an editor’s point of view. But what about the kin’s point of view?

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Harbhajan Kaur, whose son Harsimranjit Singh is among those killed by IS, was forced to open a small shop outside her home in Babowal village in Amritsar to make ends meet once her son stopped sending her money. In May last year, she had met the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Delhi with other family members and refused to accept her son was among those killed. “But fate took my son away and left me with nothing,” she says.

Sonia, wife of another slain youth, Sonu, a resident of Chavinda Devi near Amritsar, was forced to become a housemaid and has now got herself a sewing machine. “Government pays us Rs 20,000 per month but it comes irregularly,” Sonia says. “It is relief, not a long term solution. The government must think of giving us jobs.”

The families are upset with Swaraj. Gurpinder Kaur, resident of Bhoewal village, whose brother Manjinder Singh was among the 39 men, feels it is strange that Swaraj chose to declare the deaths in Rajya Sabha instead of first reaching out to the families. “We met her several times but she never bothered to inform us about the deaths and instead broke the news on TV channels,” Kaur said.

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“We were told government had confirmed the men were alive from six to eight sources, but suddenly, Swaraj is saying they are all dead. This is unacceptable,” Kaur said.

Urging the Centre to announce a rehabilitation package, Purshottam Tiwari uncle of Bidya Bhushan Tiwari, resident of Siwan in Bihar, told a leading news agency on Tuesday says, “If the government gives us some compensation, it will make life easy or I will beg on the streets to keep his family alive.

The question that remains is, now what can be done for these families, once the remains are brought in and the final rites are completed. What has the government planned?