Families of 40 men missing in Iraq take protest to Sushma Swaraj

Some family members of those who have reportedly been abducted by the IS have been protesting at Jantar Mantar over the past two weeks, but decided to shift the site of protest without “intimation”.

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Family members of Indians who are still thought to be held by the Islamic State in Iraq demand government action for their rescue at External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s house; some of them were later taken into custody. (Source: Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

A group that comprised families of the 40 men who have been missing in Iraq for over 10 months was detained by the Delhi Police on Thursday after they protested outside the residence of the Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj. Some family members of those who have reportedly been abducted by the IS have been protesting at Jantar Mantar over the past two weeks, but decided to shift the site of protest without “intimation”.

“They were protesting at Safdarjung Lane in front of Sushma Swaraj’s home. They came without intimation, which is why they had to be detained. They were taken to Tughlak Road police station where they were later let off in the evening,” a senior police officer said.

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The families were detained along with members of the Aam Aadmi Sena, a group made up of people who were once reportedly part of the Aam Aadmi Party but broke off over a year ago. They claimed that they were backing the families in their protest.

Harjeet Singh, one of the protesters, said, “All we want to know is what is happening with our loved ones. The government has not told us if they are dead or alive, or if they are negotiating at all with the ISIS. First the government made attempts to assuage us and tell us what we knew. But for a while now, it has all been forgotten. We have been protesting for more than 10 days and nobody heard us, so we decided to go to Sushma Swaraj’s residence.”

Prabhat Kumar, president of the Aam Aadmi Sena said, “All they are asking for is to be told of the fate of their families, and no political party is listening. Their voices have to be heard.”

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