On 15 June 2014, 40 Indian construction workers were kidnapped by the ISIS in Mosul, Iraq. While Harjit Masih managed to escape, the fate of the other 39 has remained unknown.
The lingering doubt that they might have been shot dead within days of their abduction was confirmed by Kurdish officials via email on Wednesday, as reported by The Indian Express.
From all the information we have, our assessment is, regrettably, that the Indian workers were shot dead near Badoush (in Mosul) within days of being taken hostage by the Islamic State, and then buried in a mass grave near Sahaji.An Official from Kurdish Regional Government
External Affairs Ministry officials have contested the email, saying that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has received information from intelligence services that claim some of them are safe and negotiations are on for their release.
This information is devastating to the families of the workers who have been repeatedly assured by the Indian government that some of them are still alive.
The sister of one of the construction workers who was abducted, Gurpinder Kaur Cheem, has been active on Twitter, constantly asking the PMO for help. On Wednesday, she tweeted to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj demanding answers.
She has tried multiple times to get in touch with the Prime Minister, according to The Indian Express.
My request to the Prime Minister is that he should meet us at least once, listen to us. Some time ago, I managed to get the number for a senior official in the PMO. It was my luck that he picked up. I told him that I want to meet Modiji about my brother and the other boys, but he said that I should contact the MEA. After that I have sent many messages over SMS but there has been no response.Gurpinder Kaur Cheem told The Indian Express
According to Kurdish officials, the workers were initially held by local Mosul militia with links to ousted dictator Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath party, and then handed over to ISIS.
While there was evidence proving that some of them were alive till 19 June, the recent information provided by Kurdish officials has denied the possibility of their survival.
(An earlier version of this copy wrongly spelt the name of Saddam Hussein.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)