`While I tried to negotiate a release, I realised I was a hostage myself'

`While I tried to negotiate a release, I realised I was a hostage myself'
GAURAV C SAWANT

MONROVIA, JUNE 30: These are my wisdom hair,'' says Lieutenant Sandeep Pendese, running his hands through his hair. At 24, he has greyed a little. Lieutenant Colonel Amit Sharma has greyed a lot. After 58 days of being held hostage by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels first at Kuiva and then Pendembu, the 21 soldiers breathed free for the first time late last evening as the helicopter carrying them from Foya (border Liberian town) landed in Monrovia.

``I've never been happier to see an Indian,'' Colonel Sharma told honorary counsel general of India in Monrovia U.S. Sachdeva. All the Gorkha troops saw the diminutive Sikh from the helicopter itself and cheered. ``Till then I did not know where were we being taken,'' Lt Col Sharma told The Indian Express. Unshaven, looking tired, the 21 soldiers were whisked away to Hotel Tubman Boulevard in the city.

They had no clothes to change into. The rebels had taken them all. Not only the weapons, the ammunition, the communication equipment but even their personal belongings, wrist watches and wedding rings. ``Whenever we moved from one place to another, they snatched our personal belongings,'' a Gorkha soldier said. Last evening, Sachdeva brought all new clothes.

Heavy security has been deployed around the hotel. ``It was a crazy situation on May 2,'' Lt Col Sharma said. ``I had a wonderful rapport with the rebels and they listened to me. In fact, disarmament process was already underway when we learnt that the rebels at Kailahun had taken all the military observers and the company commanders in custody,'' he added.

Sharma was ordered to negotiate the release because of his rapport with the rebels. ``In hindsight, I realise that the rapport was not as good as we thought it would be,'' he said sitting in his hotel room lighting his second cigarette in less than 10 minutes.

``It was a tense situation. While I tried to negotiate a release, I realised I was a hostage myself. The rebel commanders were not there and because we did not want the situation to go out of hand we listened to the rebels,'' he added. Even as a hostage, the rebels let the colonel travel to Kailahun to negotiate the release of the observers there. ``We succeeded as the observers and company commanders were allowed to return to their base in Kailahun from the RUF office. But the same did not happen to us,'' he said.

After that it was bad times for the Indian soldiers. Till then they all had their weapons. ``I told them the Indian army does not disarm. We even tried to break out from custody. I succeeded along with some troops but the truck did not start and the majority got stuck. We saw them being disarmed in small groups. And then even I returned to custody,'' he added.

``There were more than 100 drug-dazed rebels who brandished weapons to disarm us,'' Pendse said. The troops followed orders. ``The RUF commander came the next day and he apologised. Both of us made speeches of friendship but he insisted he had orders to keep us hostage. Since the situation did not warrant undue action we let them take us away,'' Sharma said.

The stay in Kuiva was uncomfortable as the officers were in a thatched hut and the men in their own trucks. Movement was restricted to a mere 50 meters from the hut to go to the toilet. ``There was no movement otherwise. Except when we were moved to Pendembu and then to Liberia yesterday,'' he added. The men at times were shoved around, their luggage and belongings taken otherwise they were well treated by the rebels.

As the UN officials did their paper work to secure their transportation from Monrovia to Freetown, the 21 soldiers sat with Sachdeva thanking him for all the help and assistance. ``You please use my phone to call your homes at least and tell them you are safe,'' Sachdeva offered. Both the officers accepted.

``Beta, I am okay,'' Col Sharma told his 13-year-old daughter Saumya at home in Delhi and then it was Pendse's turn.