It all happened in a span of a few seconds. On Friday, when hundreds of Dussehra revellers spilled onto railway tracks near Joda Phatak in Amritsar were trying to save themselves from an approaching train, Meena Devi managed to save a baby flung into the air by his father who was killed in the accident.
Moments before the train ran over 59 people, the man on the railway track flung his baby into the air and the 55-year old, who not only herself avoided being hit by the train by a, dived and caught the baby just as he was about to hit the ground.
How it all happened
Meena Devi told news agency ANI, “A man with his child was standing near me when the effigy of the Ravan was burnt. When the train plowed over the people standing on the track, the man and his child were thrown back, I somehow managed to catch the baby”.
She searched for the baby’s parents till midnight but could not find them. So, she went to the police station and filed a complaint. She told The Times of India two days after the incident that she carried the baby home, nursed and fed him and then took him to the Civil Hospital. She also said, “I will be happy to raise him if its parents are not found”.
Hours later, district administration managed to trace the family of the baby. He was identified as Vishal by his mother Radhika, who was severely injured in the accident and was being treated in a private hospital. His father Buddhi Ram, reportedly died in the accident. Vishal’s parents travelled to Amritsar from Uttar Pradesh’s Sangatpura to celebrate Dussehra, leaving their three daughters behind, reported The Indian Express.
Meena Devi, the woman who saved Vishal hails from Nepal and works as a cook in functions, was praised by her neighbours for her selfless act. Her neighbour Arti Kapoor told The Times of India, “We are proud of her as she not only saved the baby but also ensured that he got the best possible care”.
The Logical Indian appreciates Meena Devi for her exemplary behaviour and unqualified love for humanity.
Also Read: Amritsar Train Tragedy: Punjab CM Orders Magisterial Inquiry Into The Accident Which Killed Over 60
