VASCO/BELAGAVI
An alert Railway Protection Force head constable has received widespread praise after he rushed to save a passenger from being crushed under a moving train at the Vasco railway station.
According to the South Western Railway (Hubballi Division), the incident took place on Wednesday at 7.15 pm, when the passenger tried to board the moving Train 02741 Vasco-Patna Superfast Express Special at Platform 1 at the Vasco railway station.
“The passenger slipped into the gap between the platform and the train. RPF Head Constable K M Patil who was on duty at the platform immediately rushed to help him and pulled him to safety. The CCTV has captured the incident,” stated the SWR.
Arvind Malkhede, Divisional Railway Manager of Hubballi, has appreciated the presence of mind of the RPF head constable which saved the life of the passenger.
CCTV footage of his daring rescue was posted on Twitter by the Ministry of Railways, along with a message: “Life saving act by RPF personnel at Vasco station in SWR! At Vasco station, a passenger tried to board the moving train 02741 Vasco-Patna express & slipped into the gap between platform and train.”
“Passengers are requested not to board/deboard a moving train. It may risk your life,” added the ministry, in an appeal to passengers.
The video was posted in the morning and has, so far, gathered over 10,500 views and over 700 likes.
While several Twitter users have praised the RPF personnel for his bravery and quick presence of mind, some have suggested infrastructure changes to ensure the safety of passengers.
“Develop the system of automatic door lock and unlock like Metro in every train to ensure the safety of the passengers...The only way to stop such mishap!!” stated one Twitter user, while another one added, “In our India, strict rules itself not followed by our public so it is necessary to make some change in the infrastructure to prevent this type of incidents.”
There have also been suggestions that the Railways should impose a penalty on passengers for such incidents.
“Time & again, Railways are putting up videos to warn passengers of the dangers of boarding a running train but nobody heeds. Such passengers who do this must be penalised as a deterrent,” remarked a Twitter user.
