New Delhi: The next three days are crucial for Rajani Shaw, the wife of a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan on a desperate mission to bring back her husband, who has been in Pakistani custody since 23 April.
Last week, the three-month pregnant Rajani travelled to Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in search of answers about her husband’s whereabouts.
She says the commanding officer of her husband’s battalion sought for a one-week deadline to resolve the issue during a meeting in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district last Wednesday. That deadline ends Tuesday, she said.
With no signs of progress, the distressed woman from West Bengal now plans to travel to New Delhi on Friday to try and meet BSF Director-General (DG) Daljit Singh Chawdhary.
Her husband, 40-year-old Purnam Kumar Shaw, has been held captive by the Pakistan Rangers for nearly 12 days. While BSF officers have assured her about efforts to secure his release, Rajani rues that there has been no real progress.
Shaw, a constable with the BSF’s 24th battalion, was detained by Pakistani Rangers in Punjab’s Ferozepur sector.
“I am not in the best of health to be ideally travelling so frequently, but I went to Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra to get some answers on what happened with my husband. The CO (commanding officer) of the 24th battalion assured me that efforts are being made to secure his release very soon. He also said there was no reason to keep him in custody for so long,” Rajani told ThePrint.
“I will knock on as many gates and relevant government officers’ doors as possible to secure his release. No one can stop a grieving wife of a personnel who has been taken away for doing national duties. It’s my right. I will wait for three more days, and if nothing succeeds, I will come to Delhi to try and meet the BSF DG to raise my concern, and he can’t deny my rights.”
Meanwhile, sources in the BSF conceded that there had been “no progress” in securing Shaw’s release. While refusing to give a timeline for his release, they emphasised the ongoing diplomatic standoff between India and Pakistan as an “untimely” obstacle that has significantly complicated negotiations.
Last month, ThePrint reported that Shaw was accompanying a group of farmers across the border fence as part of the routine security detail to escort men who cultivate fields near or across the wall. However, he inadvertently strayed beyond the border and was quickly detained by the Pakistan Rangers.
Rajani is hopeful that her husband could be released in a possible personnel swap, after the BSF reportedly detained a Pakistani Ranger in Rajasthan over the weekend, the sources said.
The swap of the Pakistani Ranger could be on the table to secure Shaw’s release, they suggested.
Separately, the BSF also caught a Pakistani intruder in the Gurdaspur sector on Saturday night. The intruder, identified as Husnain from Gujranwala, was handed over to Amritsar Rural Police, who registered an FIR and took him into two-day remand.
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‘Time’s running out too quickly…’
Speaking by phone from her home at Rishra municipality in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, Rajani asserted that she has been trying to stay informed about her husband’s condition despite being in the early stages of pregnancy.
“The current tension between the countries has worsened the situation, and Pakistani Rangers are behaving notoriously,” Rajani told ThePrint.
She also visited the Ferozepur sector, where Shaw was taken into custody, and was assured of a positive development by Wednesday.
“The officers said that the matter has reached the highest level in the force in New Delhi and that all efforts have been made. As I requested to meet the BSF chief, I was again reassured that if something positive does not happen, an appointment will be fixed,” she said.
Rajani married Purnam Kumar Shaw in 2015 and is the mother of an eight-year-old girl. Shaw joined the force in 2008. Rajani said her mother-in-law recently underwent eye surgery and has limited mobility due to age and illness.
“It’s becoming tough to keep myself strong in this enormous crisis. Time is running out too quickly without any positive signs for us to be positive and keep on waiting anymore,” she said
“It’s been 15 days since we have had no information about him. How is he? Where is he? What is his health status?”
Rajani said the recent arrest of a Pakistani Ranger could open the door for a possible exchange of personnel between the BSF and Pakistani Rangers.
“I have been told that many flag meetings have been held between the two forces to resolve the issue. However, none of that has yielded any result. I want to ask if other options are being explored for his release,” Rajani explained.
Meanwhile, a BSF officer privy to the developments at the border said that Pakistan Rangers have been reluctant to even participate in a flag meeting to discuss Shaw’s release. “Instead, they are waiting for clearance from their senior officials in their headquarters. These issues used to be sorted amicably earlier, but the current situation has complicated matters,” the BSF officer said.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)