Pregnant wife of BSF jawan detained by Pakistan heads to Ferozepur to seek updates on husband's return

According to BSF officials, the incident occurred when Sahu, escorting a group of farmers near the border, stepped away to rest under a tree, unknowingly slipping into Pakistani territory.

Kolkata: The wife of BSF jawan Purnam Sahu — detained by Pakistan Rangers after inadvertently crossing the international border — on Monday left her Rishra home for Ferozepur in Punjab to gather information from senior officials of the force about efforts to bring back her husband.

Rajani said if her queries with BSF camp officials remain unsatisfactory, she would travel from Ferozepur to Delhi to seek a meeting with Union Home Ministry and other government officials.

The pregnant woman, her son, and three other relatives are scheduled to take a flight to Chandigarh and then travel to Ferozepur, a town on the India-Pakistan border.

"I cannot tell you how tense I am as BSF officials are only asking me not to worry. There is no clarity. I am very worried so I planned the visit amid my condition," Rajani said.

Sahu hails from Rishra in Hooghly district of West Bengal.

According to BSF officials, the incident occurred when Sahu, who was escorting a group of farmers near the border, stepped away to rest under a tree and unknowingly slipped into Pakistani territory. He was posted with the 182nd battalion of the BSF at the Ferozepur border.

The Indian and Pakistani border forces held a flag meeting to negotiate Sahu's release, officials said on Thursday night, but the family has not received any further updates.

"I have been under severe stress since hearing the news. Today is the fifth day and there is still no update on his return," Rajani had told PTI on Sunday.

"I have got a flight ticket for Chandigarh. From there, I will go to Ferozepur. My son and three other relatives will accompany me," she said.

Rajani had initially planned to board the Amritsar Mail on Sunday evening, which travels to Ferozepur from Howrah via Pathankot but could not get a confirmed ticket.

The parents of Sahu, who hails from the Harisabha area of Rishra in West Bengal's Hooghly district, said they would appeal to the central government to do everything necessary to ensure their son's return.

"We are very tense. I plead with BSF officials to bring back my son," Sahu's mother said.