Body of Indian national handed over to BSF at Kartarpur
Pakistan has handed over the body of an Indian national to India’s Border Security Force (BSF) after a flag meeting at Kartarpur, following the recovery of the body from the River Ravi earlier this month. The Sukhwinder Singh body BSF handover took place after the completion of legal formalities, officials said. The case is a reminder of how the Ravi, which runs along the border in the Shakargarh sector, can carry bodies across the frontier, leaving border forces to manage the aftermath.
Eng Aurangzeb, the District Emergency Officer of Rescue 1122 Narowal, said an emergency services team retrieved the body of an unidentified man from the River Ravi near the Kartarpur Bridge in Shakargarh tehsil on Oct 12. The body was then transported to the Narowal District Headquarters Hospital.
Sukhwinder Singh body identified at flag meeting
On Oct 15, a flag meeting was held at Kartarpur at the request of the BSF. Pakistan Rangers Company Commander Rana Ashfaq attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the BSF identified the deceased as Sukhwinder Singh, an Indian national. Following a request from the BSF, Pakistani officials handed the body over to the Indian authorities after completing legal formalities.
How cross-border handovers work
Flag meetings are a standard protocol between Pakistani and Indian border forces for resolving routine issues along the frontier, from inadvertent crossings to the return of bodies recovered from border rivers. Such meetings are usually brief, focused on a single issue, and held at designated points. Kartarpur is one of the recognised venues.
The handover carries added significance because of where it happened. Kartarpur, in Narowal district, is home to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, one of Sikhism’s holiest sites. The Kartarpur Corridor, opened in 2019, links the gurdwara to Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab, allowing Sikh pilgrims to visit without a visa. For families waiting on either side of the border, the completion of such handovers brings closure after days of uncertainty.
The River Ravi flows through this border region, and bodies are occasionally carried across by its current. In such cases, the body is kept at a district hospital while officials establish identity, and release follows legal formalities including medical examination and documentation. The flag-meeting procedure used here is the standard route for repatriation.
Relations between the two countries remain strained. Pakistan recently told the UN that India backs terror groups targeting Pakistan, and the Rangers deployment in Islamabad was recently extended amid security concerns. Against that backdrop, the smooth completion of the handover shows that working-level border protocols continue to function.
Who was the deceased handed over to the BSF?
The BSF identified him as Sukhwinder Singh, an Indian national.
Where was the body found?
It was recovered from the River Ravi near the Kartarpur Bridge in Shakargarh tehsil, Narowal district, on Oct 12.
What is a flag meeting?
It is a formal meeting between Pakistani and Indian border forces held to resolve routine cross-border issues, including the repatriation of bodies and inadvertent crossers.
