A tumultuous wait for the families of 40 Indians abducted by militants of dreaded terror outfit Islamic State in Mosul, Iraq in June 2014, ended in tragedy on Tuesday. Four years after they went missing, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday informed Parliament that 39 of them have been killed in Iraq. While one fortunate man named Harjit Masih managed to flee.

Addressing the Rajya Sabha, Sushma Swaraj said “39 Indians, who were abducted by ISIS in Iraq about four years go, were killed and their bodies recovered from Mosul in Iraq. She added that the DNA samples of 38 people had been matched by the Iraqi authorities. In the case of the 39th person, the matching was 70 per cent.”

What happened to 39 Indians?

  • June, 2014: The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that 40 Indians were abducted in Mosul in northern Iraq. A majority of them hailed from Punjab. Back then, reports claimed that they were in Islamic State’s custody. Sushma Swaraj had assured families of all possible help.
  • June, 2014: Harjit Masih, who was part of the group, informed Indian authorities from Erbil that other 39 Indians are dead.
  • March 2015, then Congress leader Amarinder Singh had claimed that 39 Indians “have been traced alive in Iraq”. In March that same year, Masih told media that all 39 Indians were killed by IS.
  • In June, 2017, family members had said they were told that a group of Indians were in a church in Mosul. In July, Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh (retd) had gone to Iraq to ascertain information about the missing men. In July, families said that they were informed that they may be in Badush jail in Iraq. On July 24, Iraqi Foreign Minister Dr Ibrahim Al-Eshaiker Al-Jafari tells reporters in Delhi that his government does not know whether the men are alive or dead.

Statements made by MEA

  • June 23, 2014: Then MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said: “We have again received a reconfirmation that Indian nationals in captivity remain unharmed”.
  • July 25, 2014: Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in Lok Sabha said, “As far as 41 captives are concerned, then I could say that we do not have direct contact with them, but I could say on the basis of some other sources that they are safe and alive and are also getting regular meals.”
  • August 4, 2014: Swaraj again addressed Parliament over the issue saying, “Not one source, but many sources have told me, and I can say responsibly that they are alive and are doing well… I have shared the papers with Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Minister for Food Processing Industries), since I have taken the oath of secrecy, that they are alive and well.”
  • August 6, 2014: Swaraj informed the Rajya Sabha, “As far as the 41 people are concerned, I would like to say here with responsibility that they are alive and safe. We should not believe rumours. I have met their families several times.”
  • February 22, 2015: After meeting the family members Swaraj said, “Here are some family members from Punjab whose relatives are in captivity in Iraq. Today is my sixth meeting with them. Every time they come, we apprise them with current efforts being made by us to get them released. As I said before, till date we have no evidence if they are alive or dead. But due to the efforts we are putting in, we have been informed by many sources that they are still alive. And we believe that the information is true, so we are still searching for them.”
  • July 22, 2015: V K Singh said informed Lok Sabha saying, “The safety and security of Indian nationals held captive by the ISIS in Mosul, Iraq, remain a matter of foremost concern and preoccupation for the Government of India. The Government of India is in close and regular contact with relevant Iraqi government authorities to obtain information on their whereabouts and safety. As per latest information from multiple third party sources, they are all safe. The government is making all efforts and taking all steps to secure their release.”
  • March 20, 2018: Swaraj confirmed 39 Indians missing in Iraq since 2014 had been killed by IS in Parliament. In a statement to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Swaraj said Masih posed as Ali from Bangladesh to escape with a group of Bangladeshi men, who were separated from the Indians. Swaraj said the government had learnt this after speaking to the factory owner, where the Indians worked, and a caterer, where the men ate meals.

Four years of trauma for families

After waiting for four long years, the grieving families are now questioning why the Centre kept them in the dark. In 2014, just after news of abduction reached them, the members of families met Sushma Swaraj and were assured all possible help. The sister of one of the 39 missing men had even written to the minister seeking assistance. Subsequently, two relatives claimed that MEA Secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa had assured them that the men are safe, and that the government was trying to bring them back.

The families claim that they met Swaraj a number of times and were assured time and again that their men are safe and that they were in a church, prison and manufactures garments’ factory in Mosul.