BHOPAL: A 30-year-old truck driver, Sajid Khan, drove a burning fuel tanker for around five kilometres, potentially averting a tragedy and saving many lives in Gotegaon town of Narsinghpur district on Sunday night.
Without caring for his life, the brave driver from Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh drove the burning vehicle through residential areas in Gotegaon, a town of 25,000 people about 250 km from Bhopal, towards the Gotegaon-Narsinghpur Road, leaving behind a trail of fire caused by leaking petrol that gutted a few shops and vehicles but didn’t cause any human casualty.
“The entire Narsinghpur district salutes his bravery. We’ll recommend his name for the Jeevan Raksha Padak, the civilian honour bestowed on real brave-hearts by the Central government,” said Narsinghpur SP Monica Shukla, on Monday.
The tanker was refilling fuel at a petrol pump in the crowded main market in Gotegaon when the petrol caught fire, possibly due to an electrical short circuit.