BSF Jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw Released by Pakistan Rangers, Returns via Attari Check Post

GG News Bureau
Amritsar 14th May: Border Security Force (BSF) personnel Purnam Kumar Shaw, who had been in the custody of Pakistan Rangers since April 23 after inadvertently crossing the International Border, was repatriated to India on Wednesday morning. The 40-year-old jawan was handed over to Indian authorities at the Joint Check Post in Attari, Amritsar, around 10:30 am, the BSF confirmed in a statement.

“The handover was conducted peacefully and in accordance with established protocols,” the BSF said, marking an end to a tense wait following weeks of diplomatic efforts.

Shaw, posted in Punjab’s Firozpur sector, accidentally crossed into Pakistan just a day after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives. The heightened security alert along the border had delayed Pakistan’s response to India’s repeated requests for a flag meeting to facilitate his return.

BSF officials had earlier confirmed that Shaw was in uniform and armed with his service rifle when he crossed over during routine patrol duty. He has served with the force for 17 years and hails from Rishra in Hooghly district, West Bengal.

Following his detention, Shaw’s pregnant wife Rajani, along with their seven-year-old son, had travelled to Chandigarh seeking updates. Expressing her relief after his release, Rajani said, “I thank everyone who supported me. The nation was with him. The Chief Minister called me several times and gave me hope. I am thankful to her.”

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had earlier appealed for Shaw’s safe return, welcomed the news. “I am happy to receive the information that our Purnam Kumar Shaw, the BSF jawan, has been released. I had all along been in touch with his family and spoke thrice with his wife here at Rishra, Hugli,” Banerjee posted on X. “Today also I called her. All the very best wishes for my brother-like jawan, his entire family including his wife Rajni Shaw.”

The BSF guards the 3,323-km-long India-Pakistan border, and such inadvertent crossings by personnel during patrols are not uncommon. These incidents are typically resolved through flag meetings, though tensions following the Pahalgam attack had complicated usual procedures.