39 Indians killed in Iraq: General VK Singh should have received bodies with guard of honour, draped in tricolour

A ceremony, even in grief, has a salutary effect and must not be undermined. I vividly remember when a test pilot as close to me as a brother was killed in an air crash in Bengaluru. As we stood there saying goodbye and the flames rose with the volley of shots from the guard of honour, the final flypast from his squadron with a waggle of the wings in salute made his wife turn to her little daughter and say, stand up straight, say goodbye to your father. And with that, she, too, went ramrod stiff and pride glistened in her eyes. The riderless horse, the inverted boots in the stirrups to mark a fallen comrade, the bowed head and reversed arms mean something tangible. They stay with you as a reminder that there went a man of substance. [caption id=“attachment_4414807” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit, right, India’s Ambassador to Iraq, watches while a casket holding one of 38 Indians abducted and killed by the Islamic State is loaded on a truck. AP[/caption] Against that sort of grim grandeur, this morning, the featureless wooden caskets of the 38 of the 39 Indians murdered in Mosul in 2014 scream a lack of propriety. Executed in another country in a war that wasn’t theirs, the remains of these luckless 38 should have been draped in the Indian flag the moment they were received by General VK Singh if not before through the embassy officials visiting the mortuary where the remains had been kept. Instead of half a dozen people hanging around like they were unloading a cargo of potatoes there should have been an escort and a carriage and a certain decorum. Even some people in uniform. The Iraqis would have been only too ready to offer a contingent. [caption id=“attachment_4414681” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] VK Singh carrying one of the coffins to the plane in Baghdad, Iraq. Image courtesy: Twitter@VKSingh[/caption] Soldiers understand that sort of need. It would have given the families who have been through hell and back some comfort that someone cared. Even through the media, the world would have known that India had come to Baghdad to take its people home. Just one Consul General in the background does not hack it. Style does matter. Even now it is not too late to make amends. When the flight lands in India give them a guard of honour by the paramilitary at the airport — even a police guard will do — and bring them to their home states from where they hail with grace and dignity. Their families have suffered the agony of suspense for years. These are fathers, sons, and husbands, and they were shot in the back of the neck. Since there is little or no chance of ever tracing the mastermind behind the killings, it is incumbent upon us as a nation to be sensitive with just a little bit of visual courtesy. For the families, their friends and relatives and for the fellow villagers, it is proof that India did not forget. [caption id=“attachment_4414809” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Minister of State for External Affairs, Vijay Kumar Singh in Iraq. AP[/caption] It is not a political stunt or a cheap attempt at getting publicity. It is the right thing to do. True, India had forgotten them but now that the final chapter is being written, does it not make sense to send a message that contrary to general opinion, Indian lives are not cheap and that our diplomatic missions do more than party and be officious and unhelpful? Let the government, be it the Centre or the state, ensure a full representation at the final journey and pick up the cost and do it with style. One will be surprised what a heartwarming and encouraging sight it is when your country acknowledges your fallen men. Thirty-nine families will stand up straight.