39 Indians killed in Iraq, RS adjourned: Swaraj full speech; top 10 updates
After four long years of hope for the families of the Indian construction workers kidnapped by the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 from Iraq's city of Mosul, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday told Parliament that all 39 of them had been killed and buried in a mass grave. The revelation set off a row with the Opposition, which accused the Narendra Modi government at the Centre of being insensitive in noting informing the victims' kin first. Here are the top 10 developments around the Iraq tragedy that has claimed the lives of 39 Indians abducted by the terrorist organisation ISIS in 2014: 1) Families of Mosul victims told to go to airport: Families of Mosul victims Parvinder Kumar and Jasbir Singh told news agencies today that the SSP and DC had asked them to reach the Amritsar Airport at 10:00 am to receive the mortal remains of their relatives. However, they added that they were yet to receive any information.
2) Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day: Barely five minutes after the Rajya Sabha assembled on Wednesday, it was adjourned for the day amid pandemonium. As soon as Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu moved to proceed with the Zero Hour, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members rushed near the Chairman's podium, holding placards and shouting slogans. 3) Khurshid suggests Modi govt misled nation: The Centre misled the nation regarding the killing of 39 Indians in Iraq's Mosul by the Islamic State, suggested former Union minister and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid. He blamed the external affairs ministry and said that they took too long to confirm the same. 4) Families of the 39 Indians killed in Iraq ask the Modi government some tough questions: As they tried to come to terms with the fate of their loved ones, family members of the 39 Indians massacred years ago in Iraq by ISIS had only one question: Why did the Modi government keep them in the dark for so long. 5) Congress says Sushma Swaraj should apologise to 39 bereaved families: The Congress demanded that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj apologise to the families of the 39 Indians killed in Iraq for "misleading" them and giving them "false hopes". 6) Lone Indian survivor wonders why govt didn't believe him: After Swaraj revealed that all the 39 Indians kidnapped by the ISIS in Iraq had been killed, the lone survivor, Harjit Masih, wondered why the government didn't believe him all these years after he had "spoken the truth". 7) Swaraj defends Modi government's handling of the matter: After questions were raised over the government's handling of the demise of the 39 Indians, Sushma Swaraj held a press conference on Tuesday to say that the government cannot declare any person dead without concrete proof first. 8) Amarinder urges Centre to extend help to kin of the deceased: Punjab accounted for most of the deceased among the 39 Indians killed by the Islamic State in Iraq's Mosul. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday asked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to provide all necessary assistance to the families of the deceased in performing their last rites. He also asked for an ex-gratia relief for them. 9) PM Modi condoles deaths; praises Swaraj and Singh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed his condolences to families of the 39 Indians who have been confirmed dead following their kidnapping by the Islamic State in 2014. Modi said that every Indian grieves with those who lost their loved ones in Iraq's Mosul. 10) V K Singh says it could take 10 days to bring back bodies from Iraq: Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said that it might take up to 10 days to bring back the bodies of all the 39 Indians killed in Iraq as there would be legal processes involved. "There will be legal processes. We are waiting for information from there (Iraq). It may take 8-10 days (to bring back the bodies)," Singh told reporters outside Parliament.