NEW DELHI: At railway stations, there are only faces in their thousands. August 25 was to be a little different. In the usual hustle-bustle of the Sadar Bazar railway station, a muted cry gave way to groaning in helplessness at platform number 4. No one cared.
The woman was dragging herself; she appeared in intense labour. For the police on PCR duty, the time was 12.38pm. Time was ticking away, there was something to prove, there was something to be happy about. How? Read on.
The woman lay sprawled; that’s when sub-inspector Badan Lal and constable Atul Kumar rushed towards her.
“She was in excruciating pain, and the two cops sensed clearly that her delivery was imminent,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (PCR) Anand Mishra, describing the moment. “It was the question of the woman’s life -- and that of her baby.”
For the cops, it was the most challenging moment and for those who had started gathering around, help was for asking. The two cops rallied a few women from the crowd for assistance and transferred the expectant mother onto a stretcher. The bystanders formed a protective human shield around her. The woman’s husband, a 25-year-old who had stepped out briefly to fetch supplies, arrived to watch it all in amazement.
Moments later, the cries of a newborn baby girl filled the air. Wrapped in a white cloth, the infant’s first moments were bathed in shared human triumph.
With the mother and her newborn safely in their care, the police and the crowd ensured their swift transport to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital in Delhi. There, under attentive medical supervision, both mother and daughter were found to be in good health.
Recognizing their extraordinary efforts, the PCR staff were honoured with appreciation letters. That was their moment of glory and perhaps the most challenging mission.
Challenging mission
With the mother and her newborn safely in their care, the police and the crowd ensured their swift transport to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital. There, under attentive medical supervision, both mother and daughter were found to be in good health. Recognising their extraordinary efforts, the PCR staff were honoured with appreciation letters. That was their moment of glory and perhaps the most challenging mission