Worst fears come true for kin of four youths killed in Iraq

DHARAMSALA:With External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj issuing a statement in the Rajya Sabha that the DNA samples of 38 out of 39 Indian youths missing in Iraq had matched with the bodies recovered from a mass grave, a pall of gloom descended on three villages of Kangra district.

Painful end to a long wait:The inconsolable family members of Aman, Inderjeet and Hemraj, who were killed by the ISIS in Iraq. Photos: Kamaljeet and Jai Kumar

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, March 20

With External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj issuing a statement in the Rajya Sabha that the DNA samples of 38 out of 39 Indian youths missing in Iraq had matched with the bodies recovered from a mass grave, a pall of gloom descended on three villages of Kangra district.

The families of three Kangra youths, including Sandeep Kumar (40) from Dhameta Village near Pong Dam, Aman Kumar (27) from Passu village near Dharamsala and Inderjeet from Kadreti village in Dehra, had been waiting for the youngsters to return for the past more than three to four years.

The youths had left for Iraq in 2013-14 after they were hired through local recruitment agents working for foreign companies, mostly US firms. They were allegedly killed by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Mosul, Iraq. In September last year, the blood samples of the family members of the deceased youths were taken by the authorities to send these to the Iraqi authorities.

Sandeep Kumar from Dhameta had left his home on September 16, 2013. He was working as a mechanic in TNH Company at Mosul. His wife Chandresh, who was inconsolable, said he was abducted on June 15, 2014. He last contacted his family in June 2014.

Sandeep was the sole bread-winner of the family and is survived by his wife Chandresh, 11-year-old son Ansh, seven-year-old daughter Punkit, father Dilawar Singh, mother Pushpa Devi, three sisters Anita, Jyoti and Neelam, who are married.

The family is poor and Sandeep’s relatives and villagers are funding his children’s education.

Dilawar Singh said Sandeep had to go to the war-torn country as there were no jobs here. The family needed money. “Now, he too is gone. We have lost him,” said the wailing father.

The family’s last contact with the government was when their DNA samples were taken in October 2017 at the local SDM office in Jawali.

Aman (27) from Passu village near Dharamsala was a JCB operator. He was working in some foreign construction company at Mosul when he went missing in 2014.

He is survived by his father Ramesh Chand, mother Beena Devi and grandmother Tara Devi. Ramesh Chand said Aman called them on June 14, 2014, and spoke to them for over an hour. After that, his phone was switched off. It was his last conversation with the family. “We kept running from pillar to post, hoping that he might return, but today our hope has shattered. No family should send their son to work in such a country,” he said.

Aman’s mother Beena Devi said they wanted nothing from the government. “We have everything. I tried to convince Aman till the last moment not to go abroad, but he didn’t listen to me,” said Beena. The family’s last contact with the government was in October last year when their DNA samples were taken.

Inderjeet (26) from Kadreti village, Dehra tehsil, was the third youth from Kangra district, who was killed in Mosul. He used to work as a machine operator.

He is survived by his father Pardesi Ram, mother Sulochana Devi, two elder brothers Vijay Kumar and Ajay Kumar, who live at Kadreti village in Dehra tehsil of Kangra district.

Were hired through local agents

Sold land for sending Sandeep to Iraq, says father

Nurpur: The hope of Sandeep Rana’s family for his safe arrival in the country was shattered on Tuesday after the news of his death poured in.

A pall of gloom descended on Samker village in Dhameta gram panchayat in Fatehpur, the native place of deceased Sandeep (40). The DNA matching confirmed that he was one of the four persons from Himachal who had been missing in Iraq.

SDM, Fatehpur, officially confirmed and passed on the information to the bereaved family. Rana, who had gone to Iraq in September 16, 2013, had been missing since June 15, 2014.

He was one of the 39 Indians who had been kidnapped and kept in captivity by the ISIS. The family had no clue about the whereabouts of Sandeep after his sudden disappearance in Iraq. As per family members, blood and hair samples of some close relatives, including parents and sister, had been collected by the district administration in September last year for the DNA matching purpose. The DNA samples matched with the remains found in the mass grave in Mosul.

Sandeep was the lone bread earner in the family and his father Dilawar Singh, mother Pushpa Devi, wife Chandresh and kids had been awaiting his safe return since 2014. His father had sold his land to raise funds to send his son abroad. —Rajiv Mahajan

Hemraj of Mandi district among those found dead in Iraq

Mandi: After a painful wait for nearly four years, the worst fear of the family of Hemraj, who was among those missing in Iraq, became reality on Tuesday when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed the Rajya Sabha that all 39 Indians, kidnapped by the ISIS in Iraq’s Mosul in 2014, were dead.

The district administration received the information which confirmed that the victim Hemraj, native of Baila village in Sunderngar, was among those kidnapped in Iraq.

According to family sources, on July 31, 2013, Hemraj went to Iraq and was working as a cook. Hemraj had been missing since June 14, 2014.

Nirmala Devi, wife of the victim, stated that on June 14, her husband informed her on the phone that due to bomb blasts, he received injuries on his leg and they had been taken hostage. After that, there was no information about his whereabouts.

Hemraj is survived by his wife and two children. Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, Rugved Thakur said, “I have received the information that Hemraj was among the 39 missing Indians, who died in Iraq. But it was not confirmed when the mortal remains of the victim would arrive here.

The mortal remains of the victims will be brought back to India on a special plane. —Dipender Manta

The deceased

Sandeep Kumar (40) from Dhameta had left his home on September 16, 2013. He was working as a mechanic in TNH Company at Mosul. He was abducted on June 15, 2014. Sandeep last contacted his family in June 2014.

Aman (27) from Passu village near Dharamsala was a JCB operator. He was working in some foreign construction company at Mosul. Aman last called his family on June 14, 2014, and spoke to them for over an hour.

Inderjeet (26) from Kadreti village, Dehra tehsil, was the third youth from Kangra district, who was killed in Mosul. He was a machine operator.

Hemraj went to Iraq on July 31, 2013, and was working as a cook there. He had been missing since June 14, 2014.