A tribal man from Odisha’s Sundergarh, who had disappeared from his home 25 years ago and ended up in Pakistan where he spent nearly 20 years in jail, was reunited with his family on Friday.

Birju Kullu, who is 50 now, was received by his younger sister, the only surviving member of his family, at their paternal house in Jangarpada village under Kutra block of Sundergarh, around 500km from here.

While the entire village rejoiced and gave him a rousing welcome, Birju appeared to be ill at ease, having forgotten almost everything about his village and home. He hardly talked with anyone and kept patting the back of his sister who leaned on his shoulder. Tears of joy flowed from both their eyes but they hardly talked.

“I am happy to be back home,” said Birju, who is believed to be mentally unstable.

“I still remember how my parents had tried their best to trace him. They even went to Puri in search of him. We had taken him to be dead. I am happy to see my brother alive and back home,” said his sister Berena Bed Kullu, who is married.

The only son of Kamlis Kullu, who died long back, Birju had run away from home 25 years ago. But how he landed up in Pakistan remains a mystery. He was arrested by Pakistan police on the suspicion of being a RAW agent and awarded a 20-year jail sentence. He was freed on October 26 and brought to Amritsar in Punjab where he was quarantined in a hospital.

Birju being welcomed Telegraph picture

The ministry of external affairs informed the Sundergarh district administration about Birju’s release from a jail in Lahore and requested it to identify his village.

Sundergarh superintendent of police Sagarika Nath said, “Birju left home 25 years ago. During repatriation of prisoners from Pakistan, his identity was confirmed.”

Birju’s release was part of the normal exchange of prisoners between the two countries. Following his release, Birju was admitted in a Covid hospital at Amritsar where he was put in an isolation ward for 14 days on the suspicion that he might be infected with the coronavirus.

After receiving his information, the Sundergarh district administration alerted all the blocks and police stations and circulated his pictures to facilitate his identification.

Tribal women dance on the occasion Telegraph picture

Kutra block development officer Manas Ranjan Ray told The Telegraph, “We identified him. Birju had left home 25 years back. He then worked for almost five years in a hotel at Ranchi, which is 200km from here. From there he moved to Delhi and then to Amritsar. He might have crossed the border in Amritsar and got arrested by the Pakistan security personnel.”

A team was sent by the Sundergarh district administration on November 6 to bring Birju back. As soon as he reached Kutra block on Friday around 11am, local people gathered in large numbers to welcome the son of the soil.

The district administration has assured to provide Birju a ration card and a house under the Indira Awas Yojana. “We will try to ensure that he has some means of livelihood. For now, he will be staying with his relatives,” said Ray.