Hooghly: In the slender lanes of Rishra’s neighbourhood, the modest house of BSF jawan Purnam Sahu — detained via Pakistan Rangers —echoes with silent prayers and tearful appeals, as his distraught circle of relatives clings to wish and each and every different.
“He was serving the nation, and now we don’t even know whether he is safe or not. We have heard that he is in Pakistani custody,” stated Bholanath Sahu, the jawan’s father, as neighbours stopped via to provide quiet phrases of team spirit. He stated, “I just want to know where my son is. Is he safe? Is he okay?” Purnam Sahu, posted with the BSF’s 182nd battalion in Punjab’s Ferozepur sector, was once reportedly in uniform and sporting his carrier rifle when he inadvertently crossed the border on Wednesday.
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According to BSF officers, the incident took place when Sahu, escorting a gaggle of farmers close to the border, stepped away to relaxation beneath a tree — unknowingly slipping into Pakistani territory. He was once briefly taken into custody via Pakistan Rangers. The Indian and Pakistani border forces held a flag assembly to barter Sahu’s free up, officers showed on Thursday evening, however the circle of relatives has won no additional updates.
“My son had returned from leave just three weeks ago,” Bholanath stated, his voice quivering. “Now he is gone again, and we don’t know what will happen next, When he will be back home,” he stated. In their cramped two-room house, Purnam’s spouse Rajani has slightly spoken since receiving the scoop. “He called me Tuesday night,” she stated in a hushed tone. “That was the last time I heard his voice,” she stated. The couple’s seven-year-old son has been stored indoors, ignorant of the magnitude of the location.
“How do I explain this to a child?” Rajani requested, breaking down. “He keeps asking when his father will be back,” she stated. The circle of relatives discovered of the incident no longer from the government, however from one in all Purnam’s colleagues. “A friend of his called around 8 pm on Wednesday and told us what had happened,” Rajani stated. “Since then, we have had no sleep. We just want him back,” she stated.
Bholanath recalled seeking to name his son previous that day. “There was no response. I thought maybe he was busy. But later, his friend told us he wasn’t feeling well and was taking a rest under a tree. That’s when they (Pakistan Rangers) picked him up,” he stated. The timing of the incident has handiest intensified tensions between the 2 nations, coming only a day after a dangerous militant assault in Pahalgam that left 26 other folks useless.
While officers handle that such unintentional crossings don’t seem to be unprecedented and normally resolved thru diplomatic channels, the circle of relatives fears the worst. Outside the Sahu family, a crowd of involved locals and tv crews has amassed. Inside, the circle of relatives sits in quiet agony. “We have just one request to the government. Bring him home. Whatever it takes — just bring him home,” Rajani stated.