PM Modi announces ex-gratia compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to families of 39 Indians killed by ISIS in Iraq

New Delhi, April 3: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced ex-gratia compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the 39 Indians who were killed by ISIS in Iraq’s Mosul. Notably, the move comes a day after State External Affairs Minister VK Singh brought the mortal remains of the 38 Indians who were killed by ISIS in Mosul.

 

The mortal remains of 38 Indians was brought by Indian Air Force C17 aircraft. General VK Singh had left for Iraq on April 1 to bring back the mortal remains of the 38 Indians who were killed by ISIS in Mosul. However, the ex-gratia announced by the Prime Minister will give a major financial support to the families who lost their loved ones in Iraq.

Earlier on 20 March, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed Parliament that all 39 Indian construction workers kidnapped in 2014 from Mosul were killed. ''Out of the 40, who were kidnapped, one person managed to escape, while others were confirmed dead after DNA samples of their relatives matched from the bodies exhumed from a mound, '' EAM Swaraj said in Rajya Sabha.

Giving the details in the Upper House, Swaraj said, ''Mortal remains were sent to Baghdad. For verification of bodies, the DNA samples of their relatives were sent there, four state governments - Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar - were involved in this.''

Sushma added that a deep penetration radar confirmed that all Indians were dead after all bodies were exhumed. Commending Minister of State VK Singh, for supervising the job in challenging circumstances Minister Sushma said, "It was a most difficult task to get the proof. Such a barbaric terror organization...there were mass graves. It was a pile of bodies. To track down the bodies of our people and to take them to Baghdad for DNA tests was a huge task."

However, in July 2017, Swaraj had firmly said in the Parliament that she would not declare the 39 Indians dead without concrete proof or evidence. "It is a sin to declare a person dead without concrete evidence. I will not do this sin," she said in a statement in the Lok Sabha in 2017.

The group of Indian labourers, mostly from Punjab, was taken hostage by ISIS when it overran Iraq's second largest city Mosul in 2014. The workers were trying to leave Mosul when they were intercepted and taken hostage by the ISIS fighters. India had asked Iraq for help in locating the missing Indians after Iraqi forces recaptured Mosul from the Islamic State. General VK Singh also visited Iraq to find where about of 39 Indians.