In Maharashtra, a village awaits Kulbhushan Jadhav's return

MUMBAI: Residents of a small village in western Maharashtra are hoping that despite the odds stacked heavily against their local lad Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death in Pakistan, will return home.

People in Jadhav's native Javli village in Satara district today condemned Pakistan and demanded the release of Jadhav, the retired Indian Navy officer sentenced to death yesterday by a Pakistan army court on alleged "espionage" charges.

A villager said that Jadhav has built a house in his farm at Javli and used to visit the village two-three times a year.

"The Indian government should get him released at any cost. It is their responsibility. India should pressurise Pakistan to release Kulbhushan Jadhav," the villager said.

"It is our request that he should be released as early as possible. Indian government should apply twice the pressure and efforts it did while securing the release of armyman Chandu Chavan," he said.

22-year-old Chavan had crossed into Pakistan on September 29 last year, the day India conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the line of control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, 10 days after an attack by suspected Pakistani militants on a camp in Uri that killed 19 soldiers.

He was handed over to India on January 21, after four months in captivity.