Chandigarh, July 22, 2004
IANS
Panic gripped several families of Punjab and neighbouring Himachal
Pradesh Thursday following news that three Indians abducted by Iraqi
militants were from the region.
Many youths from villages and small towns in both states are working
in the Middle East, many of them in Kuwait.
The families of these youths are worried that recruiting agents might
have forced their kin to work in Iraq, despite their impression that
they were in Kuwait.
Of the three Indians taken hostage in Iraq, trucker Sukhdev Singh belongs
to Makronakalan village near the Sikh religious shrine of Chamkaur Sahib
in Punjab, 50 km from here.
The two other men -- Antaryami, 33, and Tilak Raj, 40 -- are from Una
district of Himachal Pradesh.
They had gone to Kuwait in the past year on work permits.
Sukhdev's father Sher Singh said they came to know of his kidnapping
from media reports. He belongs to a family of marginal farmers with
a land holding of just two acres.
Sukhdev had convinced his family to sell one acre of land last year
to pay an immigration agent Rs.100,000 to get a work permit in Kuwait.
His family had no idea before Thursday that Iraqi guerrillas had killed
seven hostages in the past month.
Sher Singh said his son had last spoken to him last week. "The
call was from Kuwait. I have no idea how he reached Iraq."
Besides his old parents, Sukhdev has his wife and sister living in
Makronakalan.
His brother-in-law was also working in Kuwait.
Similar was the story of Antaryami's family from Dehlan village in
Himachal Pradesh's Una district.
His father Ram Murthy said his son had spoken with the family Tuesday.
"It was a routine call like the one he used to make once or twice
a week to know about our well being."