The great human tragedy of the Mosul massacres got over painfully for Indians, who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The mortal remains of 38 out of 39 who fell to ISIS’ brutality were given some respectability by being interred in their homeland. It’s said that their motherland couldn’t give them jobs with comparable pay. The money they send back even in challenging situations brings in precious foreign exchange and helps balance India’s current account deficit. Those working in Iraq’s war zone went there without informing the Indian authorities, and there was little more India could have done about their plight in the middle of a war. However, the government could have handled the news about their fate with more sensitivity, specially after it was known that the lives of Indians had been lost.
Besides handing out a solatium and trying to give close relatives a government job, there’s little a nation with such huge human resources can do to fill even the most basic needs in terms of jobs. That is a national tragedy, but at least we can assure every Indian that, regardless of how he/she went abroad seeking a living, they’ll be taken care of in any emergency. India should set up a system, after discussion in Parliament, under which every citizen can register with homeland authorities on where they are living. We owe it to them to set up special desks for Indians to interface with the government. It’s India’s duty to try keep every citizen life safe, irrespective of how difficult the situation may be in war or kidnapping scenarios. The nation has to be sensitive to the needs of all Indians.
