ISIS killed 39 Indian hostages in Iraq: How Modi government made mess of things
The confirmation that 39 Indians who were kidnapped by the Islamic State in 2014 were dead is a classic case of how a government should not deal with a humanitarian crisis in a foreign land. The government adopted a flawed approach from the very beginning as external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj repeatedly asserted - in Parliament and to relatives of the hapless 39 hostages - that they were presumed alive unless evidence to the contrary were available.
By taking this position, the government raised hopes which were bound to be proven wrong later on given the circumstantial evidence already available, particularly after the account of the 40th man, Harjit Masih, who managed to escape, and the fact that the 39 men were up against the world's most ruthless outfit, Islamic State.
My statement in Lok Sabha on 26.07.2017 regarding 39 Indians abducted in Iraq, https://t.co/ebwPLBLgfW
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 20, 2018
The government was essentially holding a candle of hope for the kin of the 39 abductees, but eventually it proved to be a candle which was burning at both the ends. The government ought not to have taken a feel-good position in a delicate situation like this and persisted on this for years (Sushma Swaraj had reiterated this position in Parliament eight months ago) as the venue of this sordid event was a foreign land like Mosul in Iraq which at that point of time was being run over by the Islamic State.
It's beyond comprehension that the government continued with its feel-good stand even after Harjit Masih categorically stated that after landing in India that he himself witnessed all 39 men (27 from Punjab, six from Bihar, four from Himachal Pradesh and two from West Bengal) being shot, the government not only stuck to its stand but even more strangely Sushma Swaraj painted Masih like a villain in and outside Parliament.
Of course, there is a humanitarian side to the episode where the government acted rather boorishly considering that the government did not tell the families of the 39 people in advance and they learnt about the deaths in Iraq from television news. The government did not need to be a stickler to the norm of first making important announcement in Parliament when the House is in session in a humanitarian situation like this. No parliamentarian would have objected if the government were to first break the news with the family members and then inform Parliament. In any case, this government doesn't have a track record of treating Parliament as sacrosanct.
Then there is another relevant point. The government knew that Parliament was stalled for last 11 days and the same fate was in store for the 12th consecutive day. The government could have waited for just a couple of hours as the House was expected to be adjourned for the day - as it inevitably happened - and then it could have first shared the news with the families without being held guilty of disrespecting or ignoring Parliament. But the government did the opposite in its bid to score brownie points over the Opposition, particularly the Congress, for not letting Sushma Swaraj speak in the Lok Sabha. This way the Modi government tried to be one-up in a matter where it knew it had goofed up and had a lot to explain. Now the government’s ineptness has got lost in this political hurly burly.
Moreover, the crucial questions still remain unanswered.
• When were the 39 Indians killed? In June 2014 or later?
• How were they killed? Were they shot or beheaded, the latter being the Islamic State’s favourite tactic?
• When exactly the government came to know about the confirmation of the 39 deaths and by whom?
From the minister's account it appears that the first confirmation must have come weeks ago but the government wisely decided to get a confirmation by getting DNA tests done on the 39 recovered bodies. If the government had informed the families (and at that time in all likelihood Parliament wouldn't have been in session) it would have mentally prepared the families till the final confirmation.
This is a rare goof up by Sushma Swaraj. Perhaps it won't dent her image irreparably. However, the biggest point that has been lost out in this chaos and cacophony is that a foreign terrorist body like Islamic State has killed 39 Indians in cold blood and how the government intends to deal with this vital question.
Sadly, for a government which doesn't lose a single opportunity to beat its 56-inch chest, there's no clarity or policy statement on how it is going to deal with Islamic State.