This is why people are wary of getting involved in helping injured strangers

Shravan Tiwari at Goregaon station. Pic/Satej Shinde

This is exactly why people are wary of getting involved in helping injured strangers - a Goregaon 26-year-old recently went out of his way to save the life of a man he saw lying unconscious and bleeding on the tracks at Charni Road station; the least he could have got was a pat on the back, instead, he had to face intense questioning and harassment from the police.

Daring act
On February 10, while on his way home, Shravan Tiwari saw a motionless body on the tracks near platform number 2 at Charni Road station. When he went to check on the person, he saw the man unconscious and bleeding from one side of the head, nose and hand. "I thought he was dead, but when I placed my fingers before his nose, I realised he was breathing. I started asking passers-by to help me to move him from the tracks, but no one came forward. It wasn't possible for me to lift him alone either," said Tiwari.

Also read - Horror at Kalwa railway station: Man falls off train and dies as attempt to save him fails

Then, he saw a train approaching, and the braveheart went and stood in its way to stop it from running over the man. "I really wanted to save his life, I was desperate. I don't know how I got the strength to stand in front of the train. After I stopped it, passengers got down and joined me; together, we stopped trains on other tracks as well and moved the man out of harm's way," he added. Tiwari alleged that Railway Police Force (RPF) personnel didn't come to help them despite them shouting for assistance several times. "Even after stopping trains and so much ruckus, there was no sign of any police or government officers. We then rushed the man to Saifee Hospital," he said.

Trouble starts
The hospital, however, refused to treat the injured man, claiming his identity hadn't been established and there was no one to take his responsibility. It took a lot of convincing to get doctors started on his treatment. "They were hesitant to admit him, and he urgently needed a CT scan as he was bleeding. After I convinced hospital authorities that I would take his responsibility, they started his treatment. After 30-odd minutes, doctors confirmed that he was fine but also stated that had I been five minutes late, he would have died," said Tiwari.

As if this wasn't enough, there was more trouble waiting for Tiwari after the hospital called up the police as per routine procedure. Rather than commend and appreciate his action, the police allegedly harassed him.

"When officers came, they started asking me unnecessary questions: 'Tum kyu gaya uske paas? Police ka wait kyu nahi kiya?', 'RPF waale aane waale the… body ko kyu touch kiya?', 'Kyun laayaa yahan pe? Ab tumko hamera saath chalna padega'. I was completely shocked," he said. Fortunately for Tiwari, the man's relatives arrived along with a few local politicians and helped him out of the situation. "There was a lot of drama inside the hospital. Finally, though, the police realised their mistake and apologised," he added.

Officialspeak
GRP (Western Railway) DCP Purushottam Karad said, "We have checked a video showing a heated exchange of words. I have ordered an inquiry into it." Despite repeated calls, Saifee Hospital COO Huzaifa Shehabi didn't respond. The patient is said to be stable.

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