Raksha Bandhan Pain: Balaghat Woman Waits 14 Years To Tie Rakhi To Brother In Pakistan Jail

For 14 years, Sanghamitra Khobragade has been waiting to tie a Rakhi to her brother, Prasannajit Rangari, who is imprisoned in Pakistan's Kot Lakhpat Central Jail. This Raksha Bandhan, like many before, will pass without the joy of seeing him.

Sanghamitra's emotional letter to her brother remains undelivered as postal and courier services to Pakistan have been suspended since the Pahalgam attack. In her message, she writes of her deep longing, her mother's tears, and her vow not to tie a Rakhi to anyone else until her brother returns home.

"Brother, I miss you a lot on Raksha Bandhan. I want to send you a rakhi, but you are very far away from India. I wish to send you a rakhi, and I hope the Government of India accepts the rakhi sent with love and sends it to Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, Pakistan, so that a sister's wish of tying a rakhi to her brother can be fulfilled. Every sister ties a rakhi to her brother, but I am an unfortunate sister who cannot do so. Mother misses you a lot and waits for you. Your nieces also miss you and want to see you...," she wrote in the letter.

Prasannajit, once a bright pharmacy student, disappeared from home years ago. The family had believed him dead until 2021, when a former Indian prisoner from Kot Lakhpat informed them he was alive. Records show Pakistan took him into custody in October 2019 from Batapur. He is listed there under a different name but has revealed his true identity and family details.

Their father died waiting for his son's return, while their mother, now mentally unwell, still believes he is in Jabalpur. Sanghamitra, a daily wage labourer and mother of two, has been tirelessly visiting offices seeking government help for his release. The family, already struggling to make ends meet, hopes authorities will act swiftly so that one day, Raksha Bandhan can truly be a celebration for them again.