‘Bodies to be brought in a week’

AMRITSAR: The bodies of the 39 Indian workers abducted by the Islamic State (IS) in Mosul, Iraq in 2014, would be brought to India by next week, minister for external affairs Sushma Swaraj said on Monday.

Swaraj, who met the families of the victims in New Delhi, told them that she was discussing possible compensation and jobs for one of the the kin with with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Rajnath Singh about, said Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Com- mittee (DSGMC) general secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa who was present at the meeting.

Swaraj said she would speak to chief ministers of four states to which the deceased belonged for working out the possibility of providing a government job to the next of kin.

“During the meeting that lasted for nearly an hour, the minister said the bodies will be brought by a chartered plane, said Manish Kumar, brother of Harish Kumar, one of the deceased.

Gurpinder Kaur, sister of one of deceased Manjinder Singh of Bhoewal village in Amritsar district, said the minister has sought time to collect data and check qualifications of the family members before deciding on providing jobs. “Following the minister’s assurance, we have shelved our plan to stage a dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi,” she said.

Earlier, the familiesmet Punjab Congress chief and Gurdaspur MP Sunil Jakhar who assured all possible assistance.