Latest news with #182Battalion
Time of India
14-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Rangers hand over BSF trooper, India lets Pak soldier go home
File photo AMRITSAR/NEW DELHI: A BSF constable held for 22 days in Pakistan after inadvertantly crossing the Punjab border was released Wednesday morning, drawing emotional scenes in his Bengal hometown. Purnam Kumar Shaw , 40, was handed over by Pakistan Rangers to BSF officers at Attari-Wagah border near Amritsar around 10.30am, concluding days of tense diplomatic and military manoeuvring between India and Pakistan amid Operation Sindoor . Shaw's wife Rajni, who is in advanced pregnancy, said: 'Every citizen prayed for my sindoor,' thanking PM Narendra Modi and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. Officials said Shaw, part of BSF's 182 Battalion, was in uniform and carrying his rifle when he crossed into Pakistani territory in Ferozepur on April 23 while on operational duty. 'He was received in accordance with established protocols. He appeared safe and healthy,' said Dr Atul Fulzele, IF of BSF's Punjab frontier. A medical check-up and debriefing followed. Shaw's crossing came a day after the Pahalgam terrorist strike that claimed 26 men, mostly tourists, and heightened tensions across the border. India responded with precision strikes on terrorist and military targets in Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. Pakistani Rangers had released photos showing Shaw blindfolded and disoriented. BSF initially shared an image of Shaw with a beard, later issuing one where he appeared clean-shaven and in fresh clothes. Efforts to secure his release included multiple flag meetings and diplomatic outreach. Sources said a final meeting between BSF and Pakistani Rangers commandants paved the way for Wednesday's handover. BSF attributed Shaw's return to 'consistent efforts through communication channels'. In a parallel and unacknowledged move, a Pakistani soldier who had crossed into Rajasthan on May 4 walked back across Wagah the same morning. In Rishra of Bengal's Hooghly district, Shaw's family broke down in joy. 'We cannot even imagine what he faced, but he will serve the country again,' said his father Bholanath Shaw. His mother Devanti Devi handed out sweets. Shaw's wife recounted the anxiety that gripped the family. 'I ran from pillar to post. I feared war would break out and we'd lose him,' she said. Rajni had even visited BSF officers near the border for updates. CM Banerjee later phoned Rajni and confirmed that talks at DGMO-level had included her husband's case. After BSF's press release confirmed his return, Rajni received a brief call from Shaw. 'Main bol raha hoon,' he said. Unsure at first, she asked, 'Aap PK Sir hain?' before recognising his voice. The couple's young son Aarav looked up at a kite kept on top of a cupboard. 'We flew it during Holi when papa was home. We'll fly it again together,' he said. (Inputs from Rohit Khanna & Falguni Banerjee in Rishra)
New Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Flag meetings suspended after Pahalgam attack, delaying return of BSF constable who crossed into Pakistan
CHANDIGARH: The accidental crossing of a BSF constable into Pakistani territory has become a diplomatic dead end, as Pakistan Rangers have suspended all flag meetings with Indian forces in the wake of the Shaw, a personnel of the 182 Battalion, inadvertently crossed into Pakistani territory on April 24 and was subsequently detained by the Pakistan Rangers. Under normal circumstances, such incidents are resolved swiftly through flag meetings. However, with the current diplomatic freeze, even efforts through formal channels have not yielded any results, a senior official said on condition of anonymity. 'The Pakistan Rangers have halted all flag meetings with the BSF. Had the situation been normal, the constable would have returned the same day. With diplomatic engagement also nearly suspended, the delay in Shaw's return continues,' the official said. BSF has lodged a formal protest with the Pakistan Rangers. A protest note was sent to the sector commander, but the Pakistani side has remained 'non-committal' regarding Shaw's whereabouts or a timeline for his return. Notably, four to five flag meetings had already taken place before the suspension. Sources indicate that Shaw is believed to have been moved to a Rangers base along the Lahore-Amritsar sector. Meanwhile, Rajni Shaw, the constable's wife, travelled from West Bengal to Punjab on Monday to follow up on the matter with senior officers of the BSF's Western Command. On Tuesday evening, she was informed that the scheduled flag meeting for Wednesday had been cancelled. In the past, incidents involving inadvertent border crossings by soldiers were typically resolved through flag meetings, with the personnel returned promptly. Separately, the deadline for Pakistani nationals on short-term and medical visas to leave India ended yesterday. A total of 887 Pakistani nationals have returned via the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari in the last six days, including 110 on Tuesday alone. Since April 24, around 1,491 people — including Indian nationals and Pakistani nationals with a No Obligation to Return to India (NORI) certificate and Long-Term Visas (LTV) — have entered India through the ICP at Attari. Of these, 470 people crossed into India on Tuesday itself.
