BSF hands over Pakistani national who crossed into Indian side

The Border Security Force (BSF) authorities handed over a man, who had inadvertently crossed into the Indian territory, to authorities in Pakistan on Friday.

The handover was done even as people in the border belt in Punjab are upset over the mysterious death of Indian prisoner Kirpal Singh in a jail in Pakistan's Lahore's city recently.

Pakistani national Mohammed Waqas Akram was apprehended by BSF troopers from the area Border Out Post (BOP) Nirmal in Punjab's Abohar sector on Thursday.

Akram was identified as resident of Pati Chak village in Pakistan's Bhawalnagar district, BSF Deputy Inspector General R.S. Kataria said.

"During questioning, it came to notice that the individual had crossed over to Indian territory inadvertently. Nothing objectionable was recovered from his possession," he said.

The BSF contacted their Pakistani counterparts, the Pakistan Rangers, on Friday and handed over the Pakistani national back on humanitarian grounds.

Indian prisoner Kirpal Singh, 54, who was arrested in Pakistan in 1992, died in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat prison on Monday.

While Pakistani authorities, who had labelled him as a spy and got him convicted for terror attacks inside Pakistan, attributed his death to heart attack, his family has alleged he was murdered in the prison.

Kirpal Singh's sister Jagir Kaur met union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday in New Delhi to seek return of his body. She also met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday.