The Border Security Force soldier who was detained by Pakistani forces on April 23 was handed back to India on Wednesday.

Purnam Kumar Shaw of the 182nd battalion was returned to India at the Attari-Wagah border post at 10.30 am. He had been in the custody of the Pakistan Rangers after accidentally crossing the border.

“The handover was conducted peacefully and in accordance with established protocols,” said the Border Security Force.

Shaw was detained on April 23 while accompanying Indian farmers beyond the barbed wire fence between the two countries.

Farmers are allowed to work on land just ahead of the fence, which remains within Indian territory, under the supervision of BSF personnel during designated hours – from 9 am to 5 pm. The BSF personnel assigned to oversee this exercise are known as kisan guards.

At the time when Shaw was detained, two BSF jawans were stationed as kisan guards at the Jaloke post in Punjab, where farmers were harvesting crops across the barbed wire, The Indian Express had reported at the time.

Purnam Kumar Shaw’s father, Bholenath Shaw, told the newspaper that the family was informed at around 7.30 pm on Tuesday that the soldier would be released by Pakistan.

“I want to thank the Indian government, our Chief Minister [Mamata Banerjee], state leaders and god for his release,” Bholenath Shaw was quoted as saying.

The soldier’s wife, Rajani Shaw, also thanked Banerjee for calling the family to inform them that Purnam Kumar Shaw was in good health and would be released.

“That assurance was a great relief,” Rajani Shaw told The Indian Express, adding that she “had lost all hope” before India and Pakistan agreed to stop all cross-border strikes on Saturday.

A BSF official said on April 24 that flag meetings were held with the Rangers to secure Shaw’s release.

The incident came amid diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which killed 26 persons.

The tensions escalated into a conflict on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes were in response to the Pahalgam attack.

The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 22 Indian civilians and eight defence personnel were killed.

The Congress had on April 29 asked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government to explain what steps it had taken to ensure Shaw’s safe return.