Sidhwan Bet (Ludhiana): Two men swept across the Satluj river during floods and later arrested in Pakistan, have been released after more than two and a half years. Recalling the ordeal they faced, 25-year-old Ratanpal of Khaira Mustarka and 26-year-old Harwinder Singh, a driver from Parjian Biharipur, said they are struggling to come to terms with the loss of close family members while they were lodged in Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore.
According to the families, the two were swept away around July 26, 2023 in the Ferozepur stretch of the river and were arrested by Pakistan Rangers after reaching the other side. They were among seven Indian prisoners released on Jan 31 this year by Pakistani authorities.
Swept away during floods
Harwinder Singh said that during the floods, they had gone to Chandiwala village in Ferozepur to help his cousin (maternal uncle's daughter) shift household articles and cattle in the wake of an announcement from the gurdwara and rise in water level. He said they were caught in the strong current and swept downstream, unable to swim back because of the high water level and speed.
Around the morning of July 28, he and Ratanpal reached a riverbank, without realising that they had crossed into Pakistan. It was only after Pakistan Rangers arrested them that they understood they were in another country. He said they tried to explain that they had been swept across by floodwaters, but were taken to an undisclosed location, blindfolded and interrogated and tortured for 28 days, with repeated questions about which agency they were attached to and why they had come.
Custody, interrogation and transfers
Harwinder said the interrogators had their faces covered and often communicated through gestures. The two were kept in small cells and did not see each other during this period. He said they were given lunch and dinner, and tea and roti in the morning. Later, they were moved to the Ganda Singh Wala police station, where he and Ratanpal were reunited and kept for seven days; he added that the questioning there was not severe.
Subsequently, the duo was shifted to Kasur Jail for one and a half months, and then to Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore. Harwinder said conditions there were comparatively better as they met other Indian prisoners, who were kept in a separate enclosure. He stated they were served two big rotis and dal.
Court hearings and limited contact
Harwinder said that after their court case began, hearing would come up every three months. During one such hearing, they told the judge about their families and requested permission to speak with them. He said the court ordered jail authorities to allow the duo to talk to their families for 10 minutes every week, and they were able to make weekly Wednesday calls.
According to Harwinder, at the last hearing, the court ordered that they would be sent back within three months. On the day of their release, they were brought from jail in the morning. He said that even though an officer from the Indian govt asked about their release, they were let go in the evening.
Homecoming shadowed by loss
Harwinder said the return has been overshadowed by personal tragedy. He last spoke to his father, Mukhtar Singh, 15 to 20 days before being swept away. His father, he said, had cancer and Harwinder had planned to borrow money and take him to Bikaner for treatment. "I didn't know that it would be our last meeting," he said, adding that his mother suffered a brain haemorrhage due to stress. He said he had an inkling his father had passed away, but received confirmation only after reaching home. He added that he is happy to be with his family — including his mother, wife and two children — but is pained by his father's death and is on medication due to shock.
At his home in Khaira Mustarka village, Jalandhar district, Ratanpal said he is shattered by the loss of his uncle Kartar Singh and aunt Pyaro Bai, who adopted him in childhood, and by the death of his brother Ved Prakash. He said that after being released, he reached home at 2am on Feb 1 and looked for his parents and brother, but did not find them. Only then did he learn that they had passed away. He said they adopted him when he was a few years old and ensured that he received an education. "I am happy that I returned, but I am yet to come to terms with the huge loss that I suffered during the years I was in jail in Pakistan," he said.
Ratanpal added that in prison, Indian inmates serving sentences for around 10 years encouraged them that they would eventually be released. He said they remained steadfast due to faith in the Almighty. He added that his father Mohinder Singh, wife Surjeet Kaur, two sons, and brother Om Prakash were happy to see him back.
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