BSF jawan still in Pakistan custody; TMC MP says efforts on for release

Kolkata: Government agencies are making all possible efforts to secure the release of BSF jawan Purnam Kumar Sahu from the custody of the Pakistan Rangers, said senior Trinamool Congress leader and MP Kalyan Banerjee on Saturday. Sahu, a native of West Bengal, was apprehended by the Pakistan Rangers after he accidentally crossed the border amid tensions between India and the neighbouring country over the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

PTI reported that Pakistani officials caught him from a farming field along the Ferozepur district of Punjab on Wednesday.

"I just spoke with the DG BSF regarding the detention of Purnam Kumar Sahu by the Pakistan Army. He informed me that all relevant government agencies and officials are making every possible effort to secure his return to India," Banerjee said in a post on X.

The BSF chief conveyed to him that, while Pakistan is taking some time, they are expected to eventually hand over the jawan to India.

"He also assured me that Purnam is currently safe and in good health in Pakistan," Banerjee added.

Official sources confirmed that the Pakistan Rangers refused to hand over the BSF jawan for the third straight day on Friday and remained non-committal about his whereabouts.

According to BSF officials, Sahu had stepped away to rest under a tree and unknowingly entered Pakistani territory, where he was detained by the Pakistan Rangers.

Family in agony
In Rishra, Hooghly district of West Bengal, Sahu's family remains anxious and distraught.

"He was serving the nation, and now we don't even know whether he is safe," said the jawan's father, Bholanath Sahu, as neighbours continued to visit their modest home, offering words of solidarity.

He added that authorities contacted him and assured him that the process of bringing his son back to India is underway. They, however, did not provide any timeline, said the elderly father.

"He had visited home three weeks ago and then went back to work," he added.

The jawan's wife, Rajani, who has barely spoken since receiving the news, recalled, "He called me on Tuesday night. That was the last time I heard his voice."

Their seven-year-old son, unaware of the gravity of the situation, continues to ask when his father will return.
The family first learned of the incident through one of Sahu's colleagues.

"I got a call from his friend around 8 pm on Wednesday, and he told us what happened," Rajani said.

"We only request the government to bring him home. Whatever it takes, just bring him back," Rajani said before breaking down in tears.

The incident has heightened anxieties as it occurred just a day after a deadly militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.

Alleging Pakistan’s role in promoting terrorism in Kashmir, India downgraded diplomatic relations with the neighbouring country and asked Pakistani nationals to leave the country by April 29.

The central government also suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan and closed the Attari checkpost. In retaliation, Pakistan blocked its airspace for Indian airlines and cancelled the Simla Accord.