First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe
R
Vol 46 Issue 45
24th March to 30th March 2018
Let noble thoughts come to us from every side 80p
39 INDIAN HOSTAGES DEAD, KICKS UP A ROW
In shocking news, the 39 Indians who were kidnapped in Iraq by terror outfit ISIS four years ago, have been confirmed dead. Addressing the parliament, India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj broke the news saying, “With full proof I can say these 39 are dead. We wanted to give the families closure only after concrete proof.” She said that it was confirmed on Monday, that the DNA of 38 had matched remains found underneath a mound, one of many in and around Mosul and Badush after their liberation from ISIS. One body was a 70 per cent match. “We used a deep penetration satellite... It had exactly 39 bodies with distinctive features like long hair, Sikh kadas, non-Iraqi shoes and IDs. It was a difficult task to get the proof. It was a pile of bodies. To track down the bodies of our people and to take them to Baghdad for DNA tests was a huge task,” Swaraj said. She also commended her junior, Minister of State VK Singh for supervising the challenging job. Soon after the announcement, the Opposition verbally attacked the minister, with the Congress accusing the government of giving false hopes to the families of the deceased, and misleading the nation. Swaraj had last year told the parliament that until evidence suggested otherwise, the workers would be presumed alive. Congress lawmaker Ghulam Nabi Azad reminded her that she had
Karnataka govt clears minority status for Lingayats
In a political gamble close to the assembly polls, the Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka has decided to declare Lingayats as a religious minority and include the Veerashaivas who follow Basavanna as a group within the community. Continued on page 26
Relatives of the Indian workers who have been kidnapped in Iraq pose with photographs in front of Golden Temple
“assured us last year that the Indians were alive.” VK Singh responded saying, “We never misled anyone. We said unless we have evidence, we cannot declare them dead.” The victims were construction workers from Punjab, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, and Bengal. They were taken hostage when the IS invaded Mosul in 2014. They were caught trying to leave the city. One of the workers, Harjit Masih from Punjab, managed to escape after posing as a Muslim. He claimed that he saw his compatriots executed, but the government rejected the statement.
He also said that he was harassed by the Central government. In a press conference held later in the day, Swaraj said 27 of the 39 were from Punjab, six from Bihar, four from Himachal Pradesh, and two from West Bengal. Referring to criticism, she said she followed parliamentary procedures. “It was my duty to first inform the House. I never gave any false hope to anyone. I was not involved in any falsehood... she said, referring to her statements in Parliament in 2014 and 2017. Continued on page 26
Indian real estate partners linked to Trump accused of $147 mn fraud
Lalit Goyal and co-founder Anurag Bhargava
Full story on page 26