Father dies waiting for son, mother loses memory:Sister hugged him on return from Pakistan jail after 7 years, says pharmacist brother was jobless and depressed

There is happiness that my brother has come home after years. In the meantime, we lost a lot. Father passed away. Waiting and waiting, mother has lost her senses. When he came home, I couldn’t believe it. I hugged him and kept crying. Saying this, tears well up in Sanghamitra Khobragade’s eyes. These tears are of joy. The reason is that her brother, Prasenjit Rangari, came home on February 6th after seven years. He was imprisoned in a Pakistani jail. His name was also included in the release of Indian prisoners on January 31st. Before this, Prasenjit’s brother-in-law Rajesh Khobragade, Mahekepar employment assistant Yogendra Chaudhary, Mohgaon employment assistant Ashish Vasini, and Constable Laxmiprasad Baghel had gone from Balaghat to Amritsar to pick him up. The Dainik Bhaskar team reached Mahekepar village in the Katangi area, 100 kilometres from the district headquarters. Prasenjit’s sister, Sanghamitra, narrated the story of her brother’s disappearance and the struggle to bring him back. I will make carrot halwa for my brother There is a crowd of people in front of this house in Mahekepar village. Government school children are gathered in a group before going home. Many people have also come from outside. A sturdy young man is sitting on the verandah, but there is neither happiness nor sadness on his face. This is Prasenjit Rangari. When someone asks something to Prasenjit, who is sitting silently, he says something. But when another person asks him the same thing, he gives a different answer. Hearing this, the school children standing outside the house start laughing. Meanwhile, Sanghamitra, sitting on the chair next to the young man, says – What’s there to laugh about? He is not well. Sanghamitra is Prasanjit’s sister. She made every possible effort for her brother’s release from Pakistan. She says that her brother loves gajar ka halwa (carrot pudding), and she will make that. Then a call from Punjab raised hopes Sanghamitra says that Prasannajeet is educated. In 2011, he completed B-Pharma with first division from RGPV, Bhopal. In the same year, he was also registered as a pharmacist. Initially, everything was going well. He was trying for a job, but he couldn’t find a good one. Because of this, he started living in depression. His health began to deteriorate. Many times he would leave home for several days and then return. About 11 years ago, when there was no trace of him for many years, we had assumed he was dead, then suddenly one day a phone call from Punjab rekindled hope. After years, my brother returned home, but by then we had lost a lot. After Prasanjit went missing, father’s health continuously deteriorated. He passed away just as the documents related to his release from the Pakistan jail were being prepared. Mother had already lost her senses waiting. Sanghamitra says, “I live with my in-laws. My mother lives here in the village. The villagers give her food. That’s how she manages. I have asked her many times to come and live with me, but she sits on the veranda every morning, as if waiting for her son.”
Had gone missing before as well Sanghamitra says that after coming home, her brother is not talking much. He recognizes people, but hasn’t said much. His mental state is weak. Well, whatever it is, her brother is safe in front of her eyes. When asked – How did he reach Pakistan? She says – He already had some mental issues. I have been talking to him about old things for two days, but he doesn’t remember anything. About eight years ago in 2015, he first left home without saying anything. We had filed a report at the police station. After a few months, he returned on his own. After a month or two, he went missing again. When we went to report it at the police station, they said – he has gone before, he will come back. A few days later, he called from Bihar. After this, we kept waiting. Many years passed, and there was no news. My husband Rajesh Khobragade and I searched a lot. When hope was lost, we assumed that Prasanjit had died. That last day of the year will always be remembered Sanghamitra says – I cannot forget December 31, 2021. It was the last day of the year, but it was a day of joy for me. On that day, Kuljeet Singh Kachhwaha, who had been imprisoned in a Pakistani jail for 29 years, returned to his homeland. He called and informed that your brother is alive. He is imprisoned in a Pakistani jail. I couldn’t believe that Prasanjit was in Pakistan. I didn’t know what to do. I called Kuljeet Singh again, and he assured me that Prasanjit was alive. He informed me that the army there had taken him into custody from Batapur, Pakistan, on October 1, 2019. No charges had been filed against him. In Pakistan, he has a case under the name Sunil Ade. Whatever paperwork you do, do it under Sunil’s name. Kept making rounds for a year and a half Sanghamitra says that after this, for about one and a half years, they kept making rounds of the Collectorate and Bhopal. Neighboring lawyer Kapil Phule helped. He gathered facts by talking to Kuljeet Kachhwaha of Punjab. On February 21, 2024, a petition was filed with the Human Rights Commission. There were three grounds for this. For example, Prasenjit has been imprisoned in a Pakistani jail for four years without trial and legal aid. He is mentally ill. Apprehensions of discrimination were raised and it was called a violation of human rights. Father passed away while waiting The petition was filed on February 2, 2024. The commission registered the case in eight days. From March 4, the process of the brother’s return home began. We were getting Prasenjit’s documents prepared. There was a lot of running around to do. Meanwhile, father Lopchand Rangari’s health started deteriorating significantly. They kept giving him hope that his brother was coming. The day Prasenjit’s documents came for verification, he passed away. The mother had already lost her mental balance. Couldn’t believe the news of my brother’s arrival in India Sanghamitra says that we couldn’t believe it that day, when a call came from the local police station on February 1st, saying that Prasanjit had been released along with other Indian prisoners. He had reached Amritsar. This information was also conveyed to the Collector-SP. The Collector made arrangements to bring my brother. Two policemen and two panchayat workers were sent with us in a government vehicle. Prasanjit was found at the outpost after five years. My tears wouldn’t stop. I hugged him. I kept clinging and crying for a long time. Then I composed myself. The police proceedings took one day to complete. How did Prasenjit reach Pakistan? Advocate Kapil Phule, who played a crucial role in Prasenjit’s release, says that when Sanghamitra told him about Prasenjit, he initially didn’t believe it either. I took the phone number of Kuljeet Singh Kachhwaha from Punjab. He had informed about Prasenjit being imprisoned in a Pakistani jail. He himself had been released from a Pakistani jail after 29 years. I understood the case by talking to him. I also asked him how Prasenjit ended up in Pakistan after disappearing from the village. Kuljeet told me that Prasenjit was found by the Pakistani army in an unconscious state. He was imprisoned for illegally crossing the border. He didn’t even get a lawyer there.