Kutch : Sister seeks help from PM Modi for her brother who by mistake reached Pakistan 23 years ago and is still missing
Bhuj : The country is currently celebrating the golden jubilee of the glorious victory of the 1971 war. But in this celebration, the grief of the families of the missing soldiers of India is not to be forgotten. Many Indian soldiers went missing in the 1971 war, but even after that many missing Indian soldiers and paramilitary soldiers are living in hell in Pakistani jails. The government itself does not know whether they are alive or not.
Army captain Sanjeet Bhattacharyaji and Ram Bahadur Thapa, who went missing from the Kutch border 23 years ago and reached Pakistan, are still missing. The case of the missing captain has again come to the notice of Prime Minister Modi through social media when his sister asked for help to find his brother.
The details of the case are that on the night of April 19, 1997, a contingent of Indian troops went out to the border for regular patrolling. Captain Sanjit Bhattacharyaji and Lance Nayak Ram Bahadur Thapa went missing after a sudden rise in water in the desert between Pillar No. 1162 and 1165. While the other 15 managed to return. Meanwhile, Captain Sanjeet and Lance Nayak Thapa were rescued by Pakistani fishermen and handed over to the Pakistan Army. The two Indian soldiers were then taken to Hyderabad in Sindh province for questioning. Since then no details of these two soldiers have come out! The captain’s family made requests to the government several times but no information was found.
It has been 23 years since this case. After waiting for his son for 23 years, Sanjeet’s father passed away in November. But his mother is still waiting for her son. Now Sanjeet’s sister has also sought the help of the Prime Minister to investigate her brother. On social media, Sushmita Bhattacharjee has demanded action on the issue of her brother who went missing while doing his duties to protect the country.
The government has repeatedly handed over a list of missing prisoners to Pakistan. But Pakistan has always said that no such prisoner is in its jail. The External Affairs Ministry last informed the Lok Sabha in February this year. A total of 83 defense personnel, including prisoners of war, were said to be lodged in Pakistani jails. However, Pakistan has not acknowledged the prisoners.
Sanjeet was pronounced dead by the government in 2005. The family also received a letter from the President’s Office in 2010. Captain Sanjeet Bhattacharjee has been included in the missing list by the government who is lodged in a Pakistani jail since last 23 years.
