21 days in darkness: BSF jawan blindfolded, sleep-deprived in Pakistani custody

India Today

Blindfolded for hours, denied sleep, and interrogated without rest—this was the reality for BSF Constable Purnam Kumar Shaw after he accidentally crossed into Pakistan on 23 April 2025.

Transcript

00:00Blindfolded for hours, deprived of sleep and denied even the basic right to brush his teeth.

00:05This is the ordeal Constable Purnam Kumar Shaw faced after he accidentally crossed into

00:09Pakistani territory on 23 April 2025. The Border Security Force Jawan was finally handed over to

00:15Indian authorities on 14 May 2025 after spending 21 harrowing days in Pakistani custody. According

00:22to sources, Shaw endured extreme mental juries during his three-week detention.

00:26While he was not physically tortured, he was kept blindfolded for long durations,

00:31subjected to sleep deprivation and constant verbal abuse by his captors. He was moved between three

00:36undisclosed locations in Pakistan, one of them near an airbase where the sound of aircraft flying

00:41overhead was audible. At one facility, he was locked inside a jail cell, still blindfolded.

00:47As per Shaw, Pakistani officials mostly in civilian clothing repeatedly interrogated him,

00:52seeking details about BSF deployments and senior command structures

00:55along the international border. As per BSF standard operating procedures,

01:00Shaw was not carrying a mobile phone. He was asked for contact numbers but could not provide them,

01:05citing memory lapse under Duras. After his return,

01:08Shaw was able to speak to his family and has since undergone debriefing.

01:12BSF officials confirmed that he was in a stable mental and physical condition.

01:16As per part of BSF protocols, his clothes were discarded after thorough examination.

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