18 days on, Jhunjhunu family awaits mortal remains of kin from Iraq

A Jhunjhunu family is running from pillar to post to bring back the body of their relative who died died in Iraq's capital Baghdad over two weeks ago.

Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat (45), a resident of Nar Singhani village in Jhunjhunu district, had died on January 28 in Iraq but his mortal remains could not be brought back to the country due to complex official formalities.

Shekhawat had been working in Baghdad for the past nine years and was to return home due his ill health.

His brother-in-law Vikram Singh told PTI over the phone that they were informed about Shekhawat's death on the same day after which they paid US dollar 1,000 to the Iraq government and completed all formalities to bring the body back.

However, he said the delay was caused by some objections raised by a judge in a Baghdad court.

"I have tweeted a complaint in this connection on official Twitter handles of the authorities concerned and have spoken to the Indian embassy in Baghdad but the body is yet to arrive," Vikram Singh said.

Meanwhile, state Youth Congress general secretary Charmesh Sharma, who was in communication with the Indian embassy over the issues, said an embassy official told him that the body had been kept in a mortuary of a Baghdad hospital.

He said the embassy official told him over the phone that they were ready to bear the expenses for the transportation of the body but the judge at the court was "raising objections at every step".

Sharma also submitted a memorandum in this connection to the Bundi district collector, who on February 13 sent an e-mail to the personal secretary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting to initiate efforts in this regard.