BSF jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw, who had been held captive by Pakistani Rangers for three weeks, returned home at Rishra in Hooghly district on Friday.
“It feels like a second birth, and I have got the opportunity to meet my parents and family once again,” Shaw said upon his arrival at the Howrah station.
Shaw, who had been detained by Pakistani Rangers on April 23, was released on May 14 after spending 21 days in Pakistani custody. He reached his home in Rishra on Monday. His father, Bholanath Shaw, went to the Howrah station to receive him.
As soon as the BSF jawan alighted from the Poorva Express around 5pm, Bholanath rushed to him and hugged his son.
“It was your (country’s) blessings that helped me reunite with my family once again,” said Purnam, who was welcomed with a garland by Rishra municipality chairperson Bijay Kumar Mishra.
Although Purnam did not comment on his time in Pakistan, a family member said his stay there was unpleasant and he was anxious about whether he would be released and allowed to return to India.
Purnam, who has been serving the paramilitary force for the past 17 years, had inadvertently entered Pakistani territory on April 23 near Punjab’s Firozpur border and was immediately detained by Pakistani Rangers.
As soon as the news reached his Rishra home, anxiety gripped his three-month-pregnant wife, Rajni Shaw, and his elderly parents, Bholanath and Debanti. After India launched Operation Sindoor to destroy terror camps in Pakistan, their concern over Purnam’s fate deepened.
Rajni, anxious and pregnant, rushed to the Pathankot BSF office to enquire about her husband’s whereabouts. However, hope for his release brightened when Indian forces detained a member of the Pakistani Rangers who had also crossed into Indian territory.
A source said that despite several flag meetings between officers from the neighbouring countries, Pakistan was unwilling to release Purnam until one of their personnel was detained on Indian soil.
Following the cessation of military operations by India and Pakistan, Purnam was released on May 14 with the two countries exchanging their border-security personnel.
The Trinamool Congress and the BJP sought to take credit for their roles in Purnam’s return. While chief minister Mamata Banerjee called Rajni on May 14 morning to convey her best wishes, leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari visited Rishra to be with Shaw’s family.
However, Rajni and other family members said they wanted to forget the horrifying days during Purnam’s detention and focus on celebrating his homecoming.
Their house was decorated with lights, and the floor was adorned as a puja was organised. Rajni prepared luchi, aloo’r dom, and dessert.
“No non-vegetarian items were cooked, as there was a puja at our house,” said Rajni.
“It is a day of joy, and we are celebrating an untimely Diwali as my husband is back home. I can’t express how relieved I feel today. All of us are happy, and I want to thank everyone who stood by me during this crisis,” added Rajni, who is also the mother of an eight-year-old boy.
Residents of Rishra organised a roadshow, taking Purnam on an open-hood vehicle. Hundreds of people from the Baghkhal area to P.T. Laha Street lined up to see the jawan. Many garlanded him and threw flowers to welcome him back home. The Rishra municipality also took part in organising the roadshow, a source said.
“It was a great honour for me,” said the jawan.