Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said that in the first such commitment so far, the Pakistani Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) has told his Indian counterpart that they would soon release Chavan.
Almost four months after he strayed across the Line of Control (LoC) to Pakistan, there may be hope for Indian Army soldier Chandu Chavan and his family members.
Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said that in the first such commitment so far, the Pakistani Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) has told his Indian counterpart that they would soon release Chavan.
Recruited in the Indian Army's Armoured Corps in 2012, Chavan, 22, was posted with the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) along the LoC. In late September, he was captured after inadvertently crossing over to Pakistan.
"Chandu Chavan happens to be from my constituency… we are trying for his release at the level of the DGMO. So far, the DGMO has spoken to his counterpart for a minimum 15 to 20 times. The last time, that is two days back, when he spoke to the DGMO of Pakistan, this was the first time that we got much better signals. They said their inquiry was nearing completion and very soon, we they would be releasing Chandu Chavan," said Bhamre, who was speaking in Mumbai on Thursday.
"They have admitted he is alive… they are about to complete the inquiry. This is the first time that they committed that very soon they will be releasing (him)," he added.
Speaking to DNA from their village of Borivihir in Dhule district, Bhushan Chavan, who is Chandu's elder brother and a soldier in the Indian Army himself, said the family had been informed about these developments on Wednesday. After the news broke on September 29, his maternal grandmother Lilabai Patil Sonawane died of a heart attack.
Bhushan, who is with the Maratha Light Infantry (MLI), said he had written to the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of External Affairs seeking his brother's release. Local farmer groups had also launched signature campaigns to press for the demand, added Bhushan, stating that initially details of how the incident had happened had been unclear for the family.
The family originally belongs to Pachora in Jalgaon district and the three children, which includes a sister, were raised by close relatives after they lost their parents. Bhushan said Chandu planned to get married this year. The Chavan's also have relatives serving in the Indian Army.
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