Sabir Mollah (top) and Kanchan Gorai

Aug. 1: The families of two young Lalgarh constables missing for over a year have pleaded for an end to their agony, even if that means a confirmation of their fears that the duo are no longer alive.

Bankura’s Kanchan Gorai, 25, and Burdwan’s Sabir Mollah, 30, had once been mistakenly announced dead by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Mamata Banerjee had paraded their relatives in Delhi before home minister P. Chidambaram months after their July 30 disappearance. The chief minister had apologised for the gaffe later.

“Please end this mystery, please tell us, even if it is the worst news,” pleaded Salam, Sabir’s elder brother, in an appeal to the government and abductors from the family’s home at Telsara in Burdwan’s Memari. Kanchan’s elder sibling Trilochon echoed the entreaty from their house in Bankura’s Suarabakra village.

Police said the Maoists and the rebel-backed People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities had kidnapped the two. “We suspect Maoists are behind their abduction. We had some trace of them for the first 15 days but after that, there is no news at all till today,” said West Midnapore police chief Manoj Verma.

Kanchan’s father Basudeb, looking much older than his 64 years because of what the family said was endless mental trauma was over the past year, complains of apparent indifference from police officers and politicians.

“The Union home minister had given us an assurance that all-out efforts would be made to find the two. But nothing happened. Whoever we approach now, be it the DG of police, or Trinamul leaders, they tell us they are trying,” sobbed Basudeb.

The marginal farmer said he couldn’t take the sight of his wife crying for their son anymore. “I cannot bear to see my wife weeping every evening, chanting Kanchan’s name. She has kept a few things my son was fond of as a child next to the deities in the house, praying almost constantly for his return.”

The scenes are just as bleak at Sabir’s Burdwan village, around 90km from Calcutta. His mother Jehanara Bewa takes out his son’s clothes from a trunk every morning and smells them. “We had chosen a girl for him, he would have been married by now,” Jehanara says, tears flowing down.

Kanchan and Sabir are bound in ways other than being officially reported missing together a year ago: they are the youngest sons in their families and both had joined the state armed police in the same year, 2006.

Bhattacharjee had met Sabir’s family — the Gorais could not make it. Both families are getting the constables’ salaries.