Eighteen-year-old Abdullah Sheikh has been spending sleepless nights with his parents at Gaziabad in New Delhi for the past few days apprehending attacks any time.

Back at his home in Madhya Mashaldanga, a village in the Dinhata subdivision of Cooch Behar, his sisters and their grandfather are equally worried and frequently urging Abdullah and the parents to return home.

Ever since communal violence has rocked northeast Delhi, Abdullah’s father has stopped going to work.

But Abdullah is somehow joining his work as the family needs earnings for livelihood and to send money home.

“I am a bit cagey these days while going out. We have in fact readied our luggage and are ready to leave Delhi at any time. But simultaneously, we are wondering what would happen if we leave Delhi. This is because back at home, we can never earn the same,” said the youth, a mason.

Around 150 residents of Cooch Behar live in the locality where Abdullah stays, he said.

Similar is the situation faced by Sanowar Ali, who hails from Salmara village and lives at a slum in Vasant Kunj, Delhi. He owns three cars and he and his brother Fulwar rent out the vehicles.

“In the past one week, my business has suffered immensely. I know many people from Cooch Behar who stay in Delhi. Many of them have started leaving for their homes. On Tuesday, at least 25 of them hired my cars and went to the New Delhi railway station. Even today, many people hired my cars to reach the station and leave for their villages in Cooch Behar,” said Ali.

In Salmara, Akkas Ali, his father, is equally worried. The septuagenarian has been regularly making calls to his sons and insisting that they return home.

“Whatever is happening in Delhi has left us worried. I have called both my sons and asked them to sell their cars and return home with their families. We have a piece of agricultural land and would somehow manage it here,” said Akkas.

The worried family members are also in touch with elected representatives of their localities and other political leaders.

Abdur Rauf, the state secretary of Yuba League, the youth front of the Forward Bloc, said the party was monitoring the developments in Delhi.

He has said the Basant Kunj area alone has over 30,000 residents from the Dinhata subdivision and most of them work as contractual workers.