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Sombre Diwali for kin of Punjabi youths abducted in Iraq
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 24
This year’s Diwali failed to lighten up the lives of the families of Punjabi youths who were abducted by terrorists in Iraq over four months ago.

Around 40 Punjabi youths were reportedly kidnapped by ISIS militia in war-ravaged country in June.

The Punjab Government had set up a control room to offer help and provide updates to the affected families soon after the kidnapping. But the helpline, which used to receive hundreds of calls every day, has gone silent with families no longer interested in receiving empty assurances from the authorities. “We would celebrate Diwali once our sons return home. The government remembers us only when our plight is highlighted in the media,” said Kanwaljit Kaur, mother of one of the abducted youths. “My son went abroad to earn some money for the family as there weren’t enough employment opportunities here. He used to send home Rs 40,000 a month,” she said.

While the family is yet to receive any news about their son, the absence of timely compensation has aggravated their misery. The government had announced Rs 20,000 per month each for families till the time the youths returned, but the families have not received the compensation so far.

The family members of one of the abducted youths, Dharmendra Kumar, from Gurdaspur say they had not received even a single penny from the government.

“I got payment for just two months,” says Bakshish Singh, brother of a victim, Jasvir Singh, from Nawanshahr. Kanwaljit Kaur, too, claimed she had not received any compensation. While the Central Government claimed 39 or 40 youths from Punjab were kidnapped, the state government says there were 21 verified cases of kidnapping. “There are 21 verified cases, of which compensation to the families of 15 youths had been finalised. The cases of other six are being processed,” says Devinder Singh, nodal officer of the control room. Devinder Singh said the respective Deputy Commissioners had been directed to release the payment to the families concerned. He said the government had limited powers and could “only take up the matter with the Central Government. We are repeatedly apprising the Centre of the plight of the families”.

He said 850 youths had returned home so far and around 600 of those registered with them remained stranded in Iraq. “We are trying to identify the remaining,” he said.

A senior official said while the Chief Minister and other senior leaders had taken up the issue with the Centre several times, the onus was on the Indian Government to take concrete steps. “It seems the Centre is waiting for things to happen,” said the official.

Sources say the state government seems to have gone slow on the issue. “While it used to send weekly reports and reminders to the Centre, it is now being done on a monthly basis,” a source said.

Awaiting compensation

While the families are yet to receive any news about their sons, lack timely compensation has aggravated their misery

A majority of them claim they have not received a single penny in relief from the Punjab Government

The government claims a monthly compensation of Rs 20,000 each had been cleared for 15 families. Cases of six others were being processed