Middle East conflict: Bengal families lose touch with relatives living in war zone

KOLKATA: Several families in Bengal are confronted with sleepless nights, unanswered calls and television screens flashing images of explosions as their loved ones remain stranded in conflict-hit Iran and Bahrain amid escalating hostilities in West Asia.

In Barasat, Reena Choudhury, who lives at Haritala, has been worrying the night away as her son, Saikat, who lives in Manan in Bahrain, has remained incommunicado since Saturday. Saikat lives there with his wife, Sheela Choudhury Dutta, and their two children. Parts of Bahrain were reportedly hit on Saturday following an attack, launched from Iran. The impact of one of the explosions was felt close to Saikat's residential complex. He managed to send photographs of the blast site shortly after the incident — pictures showing shattered glass and debris — before communication abruptly stopped. Saikat's elder brother, Shantanu, described the images with visible distress.

"A nearby residential complex was hit. The force of the explosion shattered glass windows, and flower pots from rooftops were flung onto the streets. We heard two blocks of the building, where my brother his family stay, were affected, too. There are fears of casualties," he said.

Shantanu, along with his wife, Shampa, and their mother, Reena, was supposed to visit Bahrain later this month and tickets were booked. The trip now stands postponed indefinitely. Reena's voice trembled as she spoke of the last call. "We spoke to my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson on Saturday. Since then, nothing. Two days have passed without any contact. We keep calling, but there is no answer. We don't know what they are going through," she said, urging the govt to intervene and assist stranded families. The family plans to approach the Indian Embassy on Tuesday.

Around 70 km away in Basirhat's Mathpara, anxiety hangs heavy over Amir Hossain Gazi's home. The madrasa teacher, who had moved to Tehran nearly eight years ago for higher studies and had later settled down there with his wife, Usha Parveen, and three children, could not be contacted for four days. He finally called his brother on Tuesday.

"We were extremely worried as they couldn't be contacted ever since Tehran was jointly attacked by the US and Israel forces. Soon after, a state of emergency was declared there, airports were shut and flights suspended. Mobile connectivity was also disrupted," said Sabbir, Amir's brother. "On Tuesday night, he called me and said the entire family was now staying at a safe location. He asked for some money as the expenses had shot up. But at present, he is not trying to return home. He said he would assess the situation for some time and then, attempt to come home when normal flights resume."

The Das household in the Noapara Kalibari area of Barasat is facing a similar turmoil. Shankar Das's daughter, Sulekha, a hotel management graduate, works at a five-star hotel in Bahrain. Although they have managed to exchange messages over social media, uncertainty continues to cloud every conversation. "My daughter's safety comes before everything else. We just want her to come back home," said Shankar. "Though we have been able speak, the worry does not abate. We hope the govt will extend support to families, like ours."