A Border Security Force (BSF) constable, Purnab Kumar Shaw, continued to be under detention by Pakistan Rangers for the third day on Friday after the Pakistani forces came to the flag meeting called by the Border Security Force but said they were still waiting for an order from their seniors, officials said.
Shaw, who recently joined duty at the Indo-Punjab border in Punjab’s Ferozepur district, accidentally crossed the border while assisting border villagers(farmers) working in the fields near the zero line on Wednesday and was taken by the Pakistan border force. He was detained in Pakistan from Wednesday afternoon.
The flag meeting, the third since Wednesday afternoon, was held at the Indo-Pakistan border in Punjab’s Ferozepur district.
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“This morning, Pakistan Rangers did not respond to the request for the flag meeting. Our teams were at the border with the flag, which is the norm but they did not come. Later in the afternoon, they came to the border and asked why we had called a flag meeting. We said the matter is obvious. The Pakistan Rangers personnel present there said they are awaiting directions from their higher ups. The talks were again inconclusive,” an officer aware of the matter said, adding that efforts were on to secure his release.
During the day, BSF chief Daljit Singh Chawdhary reached the North Block and briefed senior home ministry officials about the matter. Chawdhary was not available for a comment despite phone calls and messages. Neither the BSF nor the Union home ministry issued any statement on the meeting.
Shaw, a resident of Hooghly in West Bengal, was posted with an ad-hoc team at the Indo-Punjab border since April 10. He wearing his uniform and on duty when he inadvertently crossed the border. “Beyond the fence there is a small pillar, which is the border. It is an invisible line ahead of the fence. We have border fence only on the Indian side. The constable was new to the area and accidentally crossed the invisible line. BSF has always returned unarmed foreigners who cross the border accidentally. Just last month, one such Pakistan national was returned,” a second officer added.
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His family in West Bengal’s Hooghly said BSF officials from his unit told them they were working to secure his release. Shaw’s nephew, Rahul, said,” The commandant said they would inform us if there is any development. We are worried and hope that he is safe there.”
The incident –– which came to light on Thursday –– came amid heightened alert at the international border with Pakistan and on a day India unveiled a raft of punitive diplomatic measures against Pakistan over the brazen terror attack near Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists.