Kin give DNA samples amid tears and fears
AMRITSAR: More than a week after the district administration acted on directions of the ministry of external affairs, forensic experts took DNA samples of the family members of eight Punjabi men who are among 39 Indians missing from Iraq since June 2014, here on Saturday.
The administration contacted the families on Friday after 100 DNA test kits were finally brought from Hyderabad on Thursday night.
Collection of blood samples passed off amid a sad atmosphere, as the families fear the identification tests are proof that the men are dead.
Sawinder Kaur, 65, mother of missing youth Nishan Singh from Sanguana village, could not stop tears even while giving blood samples.
There was also anger and distrust about the government’s sincerity to trace the men. “They could be rescued if the government would make efforts with sincerity,” said an angry Sarwan Singh, younger brother of Nishan. “If the government could rescue nurses of Kerala from the same country at that time, why did it not show such kind of seriousness in case of the 39 Indian workers? “
Sardara Singh, 70, father of one of missing Gurcharan Singh, sounded edgy: “We got the last phone call from Gurcharan on June 15, 2014. He told me that war had been triggered there and they were trapped by terrorists. Then the phone call was cut and there is no clue about their whereabouts since.”
As per government order, the samples of three members of each family were collected at the college’s forensic lab. Each person gave two samples.
The officials said one sample would be sent to the forensic science laboratory in Mohali for the test, while the other will be sent to Iraq.