April 28, 2026

Superhero Railwayman Saves A Child

By Anukriti Roy
First publised on 2021-04-20 04:33:11

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Anukriti is a student who dabbles in writing when she finds time.

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In a scene that seemed to be playing out in a Bollywood potboiler, a railway employee was captured on CCTV saving a 6-year-old child who had slipped on the railway tracks even as a high speed train was approaching.

Mayur Shelke (30) works in the railways. His job is to check railway signals. But on Saturday, it was his chance to play hero and show that even the ordinary citizen can turn into a superhero when the needs arises. Shelke was on duty at Vangani railway station (about 100 kms from Mumbai) when he was heard cries for help from the platform. On approaching the spot, Shekle found that the woman was blind and her child had slipped on the railway tracks. Shelke saw that the high speed Udayan Express was approaching the platform. He knew he could not stop the train in time. So he jumped on the tracks, lifted the child up and away from danger in time and climbed up himself too before the Udayan Express could reach there.

The whole sequence was captured on the CCTV installed at the station. It showed that in addition to courage, Shelke had presence of mind, analytical skills and was alert to the situation at hand. Without wasting time, he did the right thing by lifting the child out of harm's way. If even a minute was wasted the child would probably have been run over.

The incident showed that if a person has his or her heart in the right place, he or she can be a superhero. Shelke said that "for a second, I hesitated". It is natural for every person to think about the consequences, but what separates the heroes from the common man is that they do not always put self before others and, like Shelke, are willing to take risks to help others without worrying about the harm it may cause them. 

India Commentary salutes Mayur Shelke.