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Take all I have but free my son, Dehlan (Una), July 22 Mr Ram Murti, a retired superintendent from the Punjab Roadways, said his son had called him on phone from Kuwait on July 20, saying that he would be going to Iraq to deliver some goods. “Never had we imagined that he would fall in such trouble”, he said. Inconsolable Bago Devi, mother of the driver, said she was against sending her son abroad for work.” I had repeatedly told him not to go abroad but he would never listen to me,” she said sobbing. The village is one of the biggest villages of Himachal Pradesh. Due to decreasing landholdings, like most other youths of his area, Ataryami took up the job of a truck driver. Not satisfied with his earnings even after 12 years, he planned to go abroad. He contacted a Mumbai-based Oman foreign placement agency that arranged a job of a heavy vehicle driver for him in Kuwait. He left for Kuwait in 2003. His family came to know about his kidnapping only after mediapersons teams started converging at their house. His father was able to recognise the blurred picture of his son published in a section of the Press. Kusum Lata, wife of Ataryami, along with her 11-month-old daughter, had gone to her parents’ house at Ladan village near Una. As the news of the kidnapping spread, hundreds of villagers started converging at the house to console his parents. Sarpanch Charan Kaur said the villagers would pray for the safe release of Ataryami at a gurdwara. None of the district administration officials of Una have reached here yet. Only the local DSP, Mr Anupam Sharma, visited the village. With 72-hour deadline issued by the militants to kill the victims nearing, tension has started to mount. Meanwhile, according to reports Tilak Raj, another Indian kidnapped by the militants in Iraq, also belongs to Una district. He is the son of Mr Garib Das of Dharampur village in Haroh subdivision. Mr Ram Murti has appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Natwar Singh to intervene in the matter to secure the release of the three hostages. ROPAR (PTI): “The government must intervene and save the lives of the hostages. With great hopes we had send our son abroad in April this year by selling a piece of land. Little did we know that we will have to face this,” said Mr Sher Singh, father of hostage Sukhdev Singh, who hails from Ropar district. Mr Sher Singh said the family owned just two acres of land and sold an acre to arrange for the money to send 26-year-old Sukhdev to Kuwait a few months ago. “We thought he will work in Kuwait and earn some money there to support his family but look what fate had in store for us,” he said. “So far no government official has visited us,” he said. Sukhdev’s mother Pal Kaur who was struggling to hold back her tears said she only wanted her son to be safe. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has requested the Iraqi insurgents to release the truck drivers who have been taken hostage, a UNI report said. He said India had always stood by the sovereignty and independence of Iraq and had opposed the US intervention in Iraq. He said no purpose would be served by taking Indians as hostage who had always stood by them. He requested the Central Government to use all diplomatic channels to ensure their safe release.  |
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