Mortal remains of Indians killed in Iraq to arrive today
AMRITSAR: The mortal remains of 39 Indian construction workers, including 27 from Punjab and four from Himachal Pradesh, who were killed by the Islamic State (IS) in northern Iraq, were handed over to Indian authorities in Baghdad. Minister of state for external affairs VK Singh saluted the remains at the airport as workers loaded the caskets on the aircraft. Authorities in Amritsar said the mortal remains will arrive at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport around 1.30pm on Monday.
AMRITSAR/BAGHDAD : The mortal remains of 39 Indian construction workers, including 27 from Punjab and four from Himachal Pradesh, who were killed by the Islamic State (IS) in northern Iraq, were handed over to Indian authorities in Baghdad.
Indian ambassador Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit said the mortal remains had been taken to the Baghdad international airport and would be flown back on a military flight to Amritsar on Monday. Minister of state for external affairs VK Singh saluted the remains at the airport as workers loaded the caskets on the aircraft.
The minister condemned terrorism and expressed his government’s stance in fighting it. “We are against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he told reporters, describing IS as “very cruel terrorist organization and our people have fallen to their bullets.”
Authorities in Amritsar said the mortal remains will arrive at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport around 1.30pm on Monday.
While the remains of the Punjab and HP men will be received at the local airport, the rest will be flown to their respective states — Bihar and West Bengal. Punjab local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu will receive the bodies on behalf of the state government.
The local administration said ambulances have been arranged for transporting the bodies of those from Punjab and Himachal.
Sidhu said he has instructed the district administration to ensure that everything be in place when the special aircraft arrives. He said the state government understands the pain of the families and stands by them in this difficult hour.
Amritsar deputy commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha is supervising the preparations by the customs department, police, airport authorities, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the immigration bureau.
The administration has also made arrangements to ferry the victims’ families from their places to the airport and will bear expenses of transportation.
SIDHU TO RECEIVE BODIES OF 27 PUNJAB AND FOUR HIMACHAL MEN AT AMRITSAR AIRPORT AT 1.30PM