BSF Jawan, Detained By Pakistan Rangers, Returns To India After Three Weeks

SOURCE ; NEW18

Last Updated:May 14, 2025, 11:54 IST

BSF jawan, who was captured by Pakistani Rangers after the Pahalgam terror attack, returned to India this morning, days after an “understanding” between the two countries.

In a sigh of relief for the grieving family, Border Security Force jawan, Purnam Kumar Sahu, who was detained by Pakistan Rangers after he inadvertently crossed the international border on April 23, returned to India on Wednesday morning, officials said.

The jawan was returned to India via the Attari-Wagah border at around 10.30 am.

The development comes days after India and Pakistan reached an “understanding” to halt military operations against each other on May 10 after the latter escalated the situation on the border following India’s Operation Sindoor against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.

Sahu’s wife, Rajni, had earlier visited Ferojpur, where he was posted and met senior BSF officials who assured her of making all efforts to bring him back to India.

Several rounds of talks were held between the two forces of the rival countries, which initially did not bear results.

The BSF officials were given the same reply from Pakistan every time: “We are waiting for directions from the higher-ups”.

However, after the May 10 “understanding”, Sahu was released from Pakistani custody as he walked freely past the Joint Check Post Attari, Amritsar.

“Today BSF Jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw, who had been in the custody of Pakistan Rangers since 23 April 2025, was handed over to India at about 1030 hours through the Joint Check Post Attari, Amritsar. The handover was conducted peacefully and in accordance with established protocols,” officials said.

Accidental crossings of the border by soldiers or civilians are not unusual, and such matters are usually dealt with and settled through agreed military procedures. In such cases, the detained persons are returned after formal meetings between officers of the two nations.

However, in this instance, the detention of the BSF jawan took place at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan were on the rise following the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people, including a Nepali national. To avenge the massacre, Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 and took down 9 terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoK without crossing the Line of Control or International Border.

Pakistan retaliated by attempting to strike the civilian areas and military installations in India, which prompted an unsparing response from India, which included a counter-attack on 11 of Pakistani air force bases, causing damage to 20% of the PAF infrastructure.

First Published:

May 14, 2025, 11:25 IST