CR man 'out-races' speeding train to save kid in Thane
The life of a young boy, who had fallen on the railway track in Thane was saved by a Central Railway employee who raced an oncoming express train. According to the details, the incident occurred on April 17 at Vangani Station of Central Railway in Thane and Pointsman Mayur Shelke's feat earned him an appreciative tweet from Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.
As per CCTV footage, a visually handicapped woman is seen carrying a heavy rucksack walking on the platform when a 6-year-old child accompanying her suddenly seems to stumble and fall on to the railway tracks below.
The footage also shows the Bengaluru-Mumbai Udayan Express train speeding on the same track when the Pointsman Shelke is seen running on that track from the opposite direction to help the boy.
As the train speed headlong before him, he seemed to hesitate momentarily, but continued to sprint and helped up the child who was trying to clamber on the high platform.
Shelke pushed the child up and also desperately hoisted himself as barely a second later the train zoomed onto the platform, but both the kid and his guardian angel were saved by virtually by a hair's breadth.
Taking to Twitter, the railway minister said, "Very proud of Mayur Shelke, Railwayman from the Vangani Railway Station in Mumbai who has done an exceptionally courageous act, risked his own life & saved a child's life."
CR Spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said the staffer is being rewarded for his alertness and daring which helped rescue a boy from certain death on the tracks.
Commenting on the incident, Shelkhe said the woman (with the child) was visually impaired. She could do nothing. I ran towards the child but also thought that I might be in danger too.
"Still, I thought I should save him. The woman was very emotional & thanked me a lot. Min Piyush Goyal also called me up," he said.
(With IANS inputs)
