In Ropar village, tearful wait for Sukhdev

MAKRONAKALAN, Ropar: A pall of gloom shrouded this small hamlet, 50 km from Chandigarh, when the hawker delivered Thursday’s newspaper, breaking the news that Sukhdev Singh (23) of the village has been taken hostage in Iraq, along with two more Indians.
From the hustle bustle of villagers thronging Sukhdev''s spartan two-room house, his septuagenarian illiterate mother Jaspal Kaur came to know about her son’s kidnapping.The poor farmer family that has not eaten anything since morning does not even know whom to approach for the release of their son, a truck driver with a Kuwait-based transport company.
Jaspal Kaur, in a choked voice, said that after four years of efforts, under-matriculate Sukhdev, youngest of two sons, got a chance to go abroad. He got in touch with a travel agent in Chandigarh, who had earlier sent a youth of the adjoining Chotta Makrona village, Sadhu Singh, to Kuwait.
"Out of our two-acre land, we sold half an acre for Rs 1 lakh to send him," said his tearful father Sher Singh.
He went to Kuwait on April 17 along with his relative Swaran Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib.
His elder brother Harvinder Singh, who had heard from him last Friday and was expecting a call on July 23, appealed to the government to help in his release.
Sukhdev used to call up on every Friday, it was his off day.
Meanwhile, Morinda police officials helped the family in calling up Sukhdev’s roommate Jasbir Singh, resident of Tapprian village, Kurali, and Sadhu Singh.
But they could not give any useful information, except that he had gone with his company’s convoy.
In the village, Sukhdev used to operate harvest combines for bread and butter. His parents were waiting for the money Sukhdev had assured to send for hand pump and tubewell repair. He had assured that he would send money as soon as possible for his mother’s cataract operation and buying more land.