New Delhi yesterday sought a response from the US embassy on "disturbing reports" about hundreds of Indians being recruited to work in sub-human conditions by the Coalition Authority in Iraq.
Joint Secretary (US and Canada) in the ministry of external affairs Sujata Mehta asked the deputy chief of the US embassy Robert Blake to respond to reports about Indians, mainly retired soldiers, being employed in inhuman conditions in Iraq and being forcibly detained in various US military camps.
"The US embassy was requested for information about the number of such Indians known to have been employed in this manner. And also about accounts that Indians who wished to leave were unable to do so, and were being compelled to continue to remain in Iraq," said an MEA spokesman.
But while expressing concern and dismay over the reports, both the ministries of defence and external affairs admit that there was little else they could do to prevent such recruitment or rescue those trapped in Iraq without American cooperation. The request in New Delhi followed similar requests made by Indian embassies in Baghdad, Amman and Kuwait to US authorities there.
In its swift response, the US embassy in Delhi said "We take all reports of abuse seriously and all allegations of mistreatment are investigated".
According to various reports, there are some 1,500 Indians, mostly ex-servicemen, working with the US military missions in Iraq. Many are employed as cooks and cleaners and reportedly live in inhuman conditions. Some reports say experienced soldiers are being used for outer-ring security as well.
Four Indians who escaped from Iraq and reached their home state, Kerala, have been narrating harrowing tales of US treatment. They said they were part of a group of 30 who landed in Kuwait City to work for the Gulf Catering Company. But they were transported from Kuwait to Iraq without their consent, and deployed at various US military camps.
Apart from regular attacks from Iraqi militiamen on the camps, they said they were they were terrorized by US soldiers as well when they demanded better rights. Their pay: Rs 9,000 a month. They finally managed to leave with the assistance of the Indian mission in Baghdad.
There have been several media reports over the past few months about various recruitment agencies hiring Indians for jobs in Iraq despite a ban since mid-April on Indians travelling to the strife-torn nation. Some reports said even non-commissioned experienced ex-servicemen were offered up to $2000 a month.
Intelligence agencies from states like Kerala too spoke about such recruitment. But New Delhi had not acted at the time, and a Kerala state government inquiry was inconclusive.
Officials say there there are no "foolproof systems" to ensure that Indians do not take up jobs in Iraq. "We can only issue advisories. If someone goes off to Gulf region and from there proceed to Iraq we can hardly do anything," a senior defence ministry official said.