"Tanveer was handed over to the Rangers at about 11:00 a.m. on Monday as per the policy of handing back inadvertent crossers on humanitarian grounds," they said.

In a noble gesture amid heightened tension between the two countries, the BSF on Monday handed back to Pakistan authorities a 12-year-old boy who had accidentally crossed over to the Indian side in search of drinking water.

Officials said the the boy identified as Md Tanveer was apprehended by the Border Security Force on Sunday evening at the Dona Telu Mal border post in Punjab.

They said he “inadvertently” crossed the International Border (IB) and came over to the Indian side in search of drinking water from a tubewell as he was thirsty.

The BSF, officials said, took care of Tanveer overnight and kept him at their camp and early Monday contacted their Pakistani counterparts so that he could be sent back to his village Dhari in the Kasur district of that country.

“Tanveer was handed over to the Rangers at about 11:00 a.m. on Monday as per the policy of handing back inadvertent crossers on humanitarian grounds,” they said.

An Indian soldier, Chandu Babulal Chavan, is in Pakistan’s custody after he “inadvertently” crossed over last week.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said a well-established mechanism through the DGMO has been activated to bring back Mr. Chavan.