BSF jawan detained by Pakistan a month ago returns home to a hero's welcome
Purnam Kumar Shaw, the Border Security Force (BSF) jawan who was repatriated to India on May 14 after spending over 20 days in the custody of Pakistan Rangers, returned to his home in West Bengal on Friday (May 23, 2025).
Hundreds of people, including members of the his family who had gathered at the Howrah railway station, cheered and waved the Tricolour as he alighted from a train in the afternoon.
Many jostled to get a glimpse of Mr. Shaw, who was returning home exactly a month after his detention.
The jawan from BSF's 24th Battalion was detained by Pakistani forces on April 23, a day after the Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 people dead. He had inadvertently strayed across the international border and entered the neighbouring country's territory while on duty in Ferozepur, Punjab.
'It is all because of your blessings and good wishes that I have been able to come back,' Mr. Shaw told mediapersons. He was escorted out of the station by police personnel.
'This is like a second life for me,' he told reporters after meeting his family members and pregnant wife, Rajni, who had been running a campaign to push for his release.
The jawan's house in Hooghly's Rishra town was decked up for a grand welcome while the neighbourhood was full of banners and posters extolling his bravery.
The family offered prayers, following which Mr. Shaw got a chance to relish his favourite delicacies.
'Looking forward to baby'
'Entire Rishra is decorated. It is like Deepavali for us, and Purnam, like Lord Ram, who is coming back after vanvaas (exile),' said Ms. Rajni, adding that she wishes to forget her husband's detention as a horrible dream and move on with planning the birth of their child.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
26/11 Mumbai terror attack: Delhi court extends Tahawwur Rana's judicial custody till July 9
A Delhi court on Friday (June 6, 2025) extended the judicial custody of 26/11 Mumbai attack accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana till July 9. Special Judge Chander Jit Singh passed the order after Rana was produced before it through video conference after expiry of his judicial custody granted earlier. The Judge, meanwhile, sought a status report from Tihar by June 9 on the health condition of Rana, after his lawyer raised concerns about his wellbeing. Rana, a close associate of 26/11 main conspirator David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, a U.S. citizen, was brought to India after the U.S. Supreme Court on April 4 dismissed his review plea against his extradition to India. The court sent him to judicial custody last month. On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists went on a rampage, carrying out a coordinated attack on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre, after they sneaked into India's financial capital using the sea route. As many as 166 people were killed in the nearly 60-hour assault.
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
26/11 Mumbai terror attack: Delhi court extends Tahawwur Rana's judicial custody till July 9
The judge, meanwhile, sought a status report from Tihar by June 9 on the health condition of Rana, after his lawyer raised concerns about his wellbeing. Special Judge Chander Jit Singh passed the order after Rana was produced before it through video conference after expiry of his judicial custody granted earlier. New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) A Delhi court on Friday extended the judicial custody of 26/11 Mumbai attack accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana till July 9. Rana, a close associate of 26/11 main conspirator David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, a US citizen, was brought to India after the US Supreme Court on April 4 dismissed his review plea against his extradition to India. The court sent him to judicial custody last month. On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists went on a rampage, carrying out a coordinated attack on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre, after they sneaked into India's financial capital using the sea route. As many as 166 people were killed in the nearly 60-hour assault. PTI UK DV DV This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
How Thane Techie Spied For Pakistan's ISI, Shared Info On Indian Warships
Mumbai: A week after a 27-year-old man from Maharashtra was arrested in an alleged espionage case, it has now emerged how he spied for his Pakistani agents and the information that he shared with them. Ravi, a mechanical engineer based in Thane, had shared intelligence about Indian warships and submarines with his Pakistani handler. He had provided inputs about 14 Navy ships, out of which the inputs about five ships were accurate. For this, he received money from Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the police said. Ravi was "honey-trapped" by a Pakistani agent who had befriended him on Facebook, posing as a woman, officials had earlier said. He was found sharing sensitive information with the Pakistani operative through WhatsApp, officials said. Based on a tip-off, he was arrested on May 29 by the Thane unit of the Anti-Terrorism Squad. He has been charged with criminal conspiracy and relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act. Two others who were taken into custody along with him were left off after an inquiry. Indian agencies had heightened surveillance in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent India-Pakistan tensions. Over a dozen men and women have been arrested on charges of sharing sensitive information with Pakistani intelligence operatives. This includes two influencers, travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra and YouTuber Jasbir Singh. Both had over a million subscribers on YouTube and had travelled to Pakistan multiple times. They are currently being probed. A student from Punjab and a security guard from Haryana are among others who face charges of leaking classified information across the border.
