The MoS for External Affairs V K Singh on Sunday, left for Iraq to bring back the mortal remains of Indians killed in Iraq.
Days after the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed the parliament about the death of the 39 Indians stranded in Iraq’s Mosul, the mortal remains of 38 of them are being carried back to India. The aircraft carrier carrying their bodies is expected to land in Punjab’s Amritsar on Monday. The mortal remains of one of them are still not being carried back as the DNA test showed only 70% match while for all the other 38 people, the DNA test showed 95% match.
On Sunday, the bodies of 38 Indian workers were handed over to the Indian Embassy in Iraq by the country’s Health Ministry. The MoS for External Affairs V K Singh on Sunday, left for Iraq to bring back the mortal remains of these Indians.
V K Singh also tweeted the video of mortal remains of 39 Indians being carried to the military aircraft with a caption, “The weight of some responsibilities is heavy.” He posted it with a hashtag ‘Rest In Peace My Fellow Indians’.
कुछ ज़िम्मेदारियों का बोझ काफी ज्यादा होता है। #RestInPeaceMyFellowIndians pic.twitter.com/7cyKDOySvY
— Chowkidar Vijay Kumar Singh (@Gen_VKSingh) April 2, 2018
Out of 39 Indians who died in Mosul, 27 are from Punjab, six from Bihar, four from Himachal Pradesh, two from West Bengal. Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu will be receiving the mortal remains at Amritsar Airport. VK Singh will first hand over the dead bodies in Amritsar and then he will travel to Patna and Kolkata to hand over the mortal remains.
Some families of the deceased have been asked not to open the coffins and perform last rites immediately. The last rites will be performed under Punjab district administration’s supervision.
Reportedly, the procedure of Iraq to hand over dead bodies of those who are citizens of other countries are lengthy. The procedure includes documentation such as travel papers of the deceased. Thus, there was a delay in bringing back the mortal remains.
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