HOOGHLY, West Bengal — Purnam Kumar Shaw’s family hasn’t slept in days. The 32-year-old Border Security Force head constable, a quiet man from a small village in Hooghly, vanished into the fog of a tense border standoff on April 23. Pakistan Rangers detained him after he inadvertently crossed the international line near Ferozepur, Punjab, while on patrol. Now, his wife, Anita, clutches a faded photo of him in his crisp BSF uniform, her voice cracking as she begs for his return. “He’s all we have,” she says. “We just want him home safe.”
The incident unfolded amid heightened friction between India and Pakistan, sparked by a deadly militant attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people earlier this month. Shaw, stationed with the 103rd Battalion, was patrolling the barbed-wire frontier when he strayed across the border, likely disoriented in the early morning haze. Pakistani forces swiftly took him into custody. By April 24, the BSF had scrambled to arrange a flag meeting with Pakistan Rangers, a tense sit-down to negotiate his release. Those talks, held under the shadow of diplomatic strain, are ongoing but have yet to bear fruit.
In Hooghly, Shaw’s modest brick home buzzes with anxious relatives and neighbors. His mother, Lakshmi, sits on a woven mat, staring at the floor. “He called me last week,” she murmurs. “Said he’d visit soon.” Shaw joined the BSF a decade ago, driven by a steady paycheck to support his wife and two young daughters. His village, tucked among paddy fields, now feels like it’s holding its breath. A local schoolteacher, dropping by with tea, says the whole community is praying for him.
On April 25, India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed it had raised the issue with Pakistan, demanding Shaw’s immediate release. The BSF, meanwhile, insists the crossing was accidental, a rare but not unheard-of mishap along the 3,323-kilometer border. Pakistan’s foreign office has acknowledged the detention but offered no timeline for his return, citing “procedural formalities.” Diplomatic channels are open, but the Pahalgam attack has cast a long shadow, with India accusing Pakistan of fueling cross-border unrest.
Shaw’s family knows little of geopolitics. They speak of his small joys—playing cricket with his girls, saving for a new roof. Anita, her eyes red from crying, says he last wrote to say the border was tense but he was fine. “He’s a good man,” she says. “He doesn’t deserve this.” As night falls in Hooghly, they light a lamp by his photo, waiting for word.
The BSF has stationed liaison officers at the border to coordinate with Pakistan Rangers. India’s Home Ministry is monitoring the situation, with senior officials meeting in Delhi on April 25 to discuss next steps. Pakistan has not publicly detailed Shaw’s condition or location. The flag meeting, held at an undisclosed border post, involved mid-level commanders from both sides. No further meetings have been announced.