For these families, the wait is finally over

Three years ago, a group of dozen youths had gone to Yemen to work in the jewellery polishing industry from the Pandua area in the district.

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They included Sheikh Abdul Rashid (35) from Ranagarh. He went to Yemen to repay the loans his father Sheikh Amir Ali failed had had taken for farming. “We are small farmers and need financial support. He left for Yemen three years ago and returned home last year. Last September, he returned to Yemen and joined work. He used to send us money with which we did our farming,” Ali said.

He added: “But the last few days were a nightmare. My son told me over phone that hundreds of migrant Indians have been locked in a small house there as the war raged on outside.” Ali claimed his son and others were not allowed to leave the house which had no power and adequate drinking water. “However, three days ago, I was informed that my son has been rescued by the Indian Navy,” he said.

Rafikul Rahman, another share cropper from Haridaspur village, narrated a similar tale. Youths from Haridaspur had migrated to Gulf countries in search of employment. While his other sons had migrated to other parts of India in search of jobs, his fourth born — 22-year-old Safiur — had migrated to Yemen two years ago. While Rahman’s eldest son is a farmer, the others are migrant workers.

Rashid and Safiur are among the 23 Bengali migrant workers who returned to the state on Friday, said sources in the government. They were rescued from the war-ravaged Yemen by INS Sumitra and taken to Mumbai.

When contacted, State Minister for Youth Affairs, Arup Biswas, said the government was closely working with the Centre to ensure the return of all migrants to the state who had been working in Yemen.