It has been five years and two months that I have served the Indian Army — but now, I don’t wish to continue. I am unable to do what I used to earlier, as I am losing my morale. I want to go home — I am tired of all that has happened to me since I returned from Pakistan.” This is the lament of soldier Chandu Babulal Chavan, for whom it has been a long and fraught road since he crossed the Indo-Pak border during surgical strikes in 2016, and was handed over by Pakistan four months later in January 2017.On Monday, Chavan was discharged from the psychiatric ward of the Military Hospital (MH), Khadki, where he had been under observation for the last three weeks — his unit had sent the 24-year-old jawan there citing that he needs to be “observed for some days” due to “behavioural issues”.During his 20 days at the hospital, Chavan had written to army seniors, seeking a premature discharge from his duties. When Mirror caught up with him on the way back to his native village of Borvihir, a small hamlet in Dhule district, the young soldier referred to multiple grounds to quit military service.“There are many reasons for which I wish to be relieved. But, I can only talk after I get out of service,” he said. These include Chavan’s urge to speak out about how he strayed over the border — an event he has faced a litany of questions about since repatriation. Besides what came after returning to India, his experiences in Pakistani custody weigh heavy — a “normal life” is all he wants now, Chavan said.“I love the Indian Army. But since I came back from Pakistan, people have been asking me many things. ‘Who told you to go?’, ‘Why did you go?’, ‘Did you plan it?’ — I cannot answer such questions while I still serve. Once I quit, I can speak up. I also want people to know the truth,” he said.Posted with the 37 Rashtriya Rifles two years ago, Chavan was at the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir. On September 29, 2016, India conducted strikes on terror launch pads in the region, in retaliation to an attack by suspected Pakistani militants on a camp in Uri 11days earlier, which had killed 19 soldiers. That was the day Chavan found himself behind enemy lines.“Each day was like a year. I was tortured a lot in prison. Pakistan changed its statements about me three times — first, they said I killed nine Pakistani soldiers, then they said I crossed the border because I was upset with seniors, and later, they said it was my decision to cross over. I have stated the truth during the inquiry into this incident, but there is much I have to disclose after I leave,” Chavan told Mirror.Hearing news of his captivity, Chavan’s grandmother Lila Chindha Patil, who had raised him after his parents passed away in his childhood, had died of shock the very next day (‘Grandma of jawan trapped across border succumbs to shock’, PM, October 1, 2016). For months, his family struggled for news — his brother, armyman Bhushan Chavan, made multiple pleas to the defence ministry to share if his sibling was at least alive (‘With no updates, kin of missing jawan anxious’ PM, October 4, 2016, and ‘Let me visit Pak once to see my captured brother’, PM, October 23, 2016).Union minister of state (MoS) for defence, Subhash Bhamre, who also hails from Dhule, had made continual efforts for Chavan’s safe return, communicating repeatedly with the Pakistani government till its “goodwill gesture” at the beginning of last year; it was he who had called Bhushan to give him the news of his brother’s return, even as Borvihir erupted in celebrations for the return of its prodigal son (‘We were living under a shadow’, PM, January 22, 2017).In March 2018, Bhamre received a letter from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Anil Gote, demanding to know if he has done any substantive work during his tenure. “All you have done is bring back afugitive soldier,” this missive said.This was another blow for Chavan. “Had I been a fugitive, the Army would have never have accepted me back. Gote has not just demoralised me, he has also insulted the Army. This is not expected from an MLA. But then, what could one hope for from a politician who has been in jail for five years in a multi-crore counterfeit stamp paper scam. He is speaking about soldiers who serve the country with no regard for their lives,” asserted Chavan, adding, “I wish to answer him, too. I was in Pakistan for three months and 21 days. After returning, I faced an inquiry and served an 89-day sentence. As soon as that was over, I was serving the army once more — this is the spirit of a soldier.”Chavan had been court-martialled and sentenced to imprisonment in October 2017 for leaving camp with weapons without informing superiors. After his sentence, he was sent to the Armoured Corps Centre and School, Ahmednagar, from where he came to MHKhadki for psychiatric observation.Today, Chavan has much gratitude for the Indian government, army and Bhamre, for their efforts to bring him home. However, he wants different things from life now. “I am disturbed by everything that has happened to me. Normalcy is my only dream. I believe god has something new planned for me,” he signed off, before boarding his train home.

Stay updated with all the Pune Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.