Reality bites

At Sukhdev Singh’s house at Makrauda Kalan, this news was given by Ministry of External Affairs official Ashok Amrohi who called up around 9.10 pm to say that Sukhdev was yet to be released. Fifteen minutes later Morinda DSP Sukhwant Singh Gill also arrived to tell Sukhdev’s parents — Sher Singh and Harpaul Kaur — that negotiations were still on and that there is no official confirmation as of yet to say that the three — Sukhdev, Antaryami and Tilak Raj — have been released.

Assuring the family that talks were going in a positive direction, Gill advised Sukhdev’s elder brother Harvinder not to carry on with the celebrations.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Gill said: ‘‘I have spoken to SDM (Ropar) D.S. Sandhu and he says that till now it’s not confirmed. When the names was first flashed on TV, CM Amarinder Singh had in fact called up SSP (Ropar) Surinder Pal Singh Virk to say that there was no official communication yet.’’

By then the glow on the faces of relatives and villagers started waning away. Fighting back tears, Harvinder said: ‘‘My mother has been under constant medical supervision. But after hearing the news, she sprung back to life. I don’t know how she will take it.’’

Sitting on a charpoy, the ailing Harpal Kaur said: ‘‘We had all gone to the gurdwara to pay obeisance after we heard of Sukhdev’s release. Now officers are telling us that he is yet to be released. What is the truth. I am dying with every passing moment.’’

About 100 km away, Antaryami’s father Ram Murthy sat confused. ‘‘When we heard about it, we had all gone to the gurdwara and distributed sweets in the mohalla. God had listened to our prayers. But the government is yet to confirm their release. Why is God doing this to us? It is impossible to live like this any longer,’’ he said. Reacting to rumours about Antaryami speaking to Ram Murthy, he said: ‘‘Had this been true, I would have been the happiest person on earth.’’

Earlier, the twin villages of Dehlan and Dharampur in Una district burst into celebration over the release.

‘‘It is difficult to believe that the Iraqi militants had released the hostages as there was little hope of such a gesture from them,’’ Bhago Devi, Antaryami’s mother, said in the hospital. She looked years younger as she said: ‘‘Meri sehat theek hon lag payee hai (My health is beginning to improve).’’

Antaryami’s wife Kusum could not hold back her excitement and vowed not to let him go abroad again. Bakshish Singh, another driver working in the same company and who is in Kuwait, had apparently said in the evening that the company officials had told him about the release of three Indian hostages.

Promilla, wife of Tilak Raj, who was admitted to a Una hospital, was brimming with joy and said she was confident that her husband would be released soon. ‘‘I won’t allow him to go abroad again,’’ his mother Kishni Devi declared.