2 Nadia men return from Iraq safely, vow not to go there ever

Two persons from West Bengal's Nadia district have returned home from the violence-hit Iraq, family members said here today.
Biswajit Hira and Manik Sarkar, both residents of Nadia's Tehatta, was working as carpenters at Iraq's Barsa city, returned home yesterday fearing for life due to the ongoing insurgency in the gulf state.
"There was no attack on our working place in Basra but it was only 15 km away from our place where the insurgents were fighting with security forces," a visibly shaky Sarkar said.
"The Iraqi government gave us security after Indians were abducted from Mosul... Authorities of our company had a discussion with us and then they arranged for our return. I shall not go to Iraq ever," the resident of Tehatta's Nazirpur-Mrigi village said.

Hira, who had previously worked in Dubai for six years, said they and other four others came back home from Iraq on Saturday night.
"One of the four persons was from Punjab and other three were from Rajastan. We boarded plane at Al Basra and finally landed in Delhi via Sharjah where we had to wait for about 11 hours," Hira, who went to Iraq 10 months back, said.

Meanwhile, two women from the district claimed that their husbands, who went to Iraq as construction workers, have been abducted there.
Moushumi Biswas from Bogula-Patikabari of Hanshkhali claimed that her husband Kshitish Biswas and another Jharna Biswas from Gangnapur said her husband Basudev Biswas, both construction workers have been abducted.

Both men, who went to Iraq three months ago, could not be contacted since Friday because their phones were switched off, their wives claimed.
Similarly, family members of Khokan Sikdar and Samar Tikadar, who were allegedly taken hostages by insurgents in Iraq, claimed that the two could not be contacted because their phones were found switched off since the last few days.
Both Sikdar and Tikadar's wife had met Nadia District Magistrate P B Salim in this connection.
However, it is not known if these two are among the 40 Indian workers, who were kidnapped from Mosul in Iraq and being held hostage by the militants.