News Brief
BSF Jawan Purnam Kumar, Detained By Pakistan Since 23 April, Returns To India
A BSF Jawan (Representative Image)
BSF jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw, who had been detained by Pakistan Rangers for nearly three weeks after mistakenly crossing the border, was handed over to Indian authorities at the check post in Attari today (14 May).
"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," the Border Security Force said in a statement, NDTV reported.
The 40-year-old BSF jawan, posted in Punjab's Firozpur, crossed the border inadvertently on 23 April, a day after the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, in which 26 innocent people were killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists.
His return was delayed due to escalated border tensions after the terror attack.
While accidental crossovers by BSF patrols along the 3,323-km Indo-Pak border are typically resolved via flag meetings, officials said repeated requests for Shaw’s release went unanswered due to the post-Pahalgam border tensions.
At the time of crossing, Shaw was in full uniform and armed with his service weapon. A 17-year BSF veteran, he hails from Hooghly district in West Bengal.
