Mumbai teen who saved girl from drowning in Banganga Tank gets National Bravery Award

Mumbai boy Mohit Dalvi, who jumped into the Banganga Tank to save his 10-year-old neighbour Krishna Pashtye in April 2015 has been selected for National Children Bravery Award. 15-year-old Dalvi is among four children from Maharashtra who have been selected for the award.

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A resident of Walkeshwar in south Mumbai, Mohit jumped into the Banganga Tank after hearing that his 10-year-old neighbour, who had been playing near its steps, had suddenly disappeared into the water. He rescued her from a ditch she was stuck in, 25 feet under the water.

Mohit with Krishna in the hospital. Pics/Bipin Kokate

The incident occurred at the Banganga on April 27 at around 5.30 pm when Krishna was playing by the water body with some other local children.

Once a family member realised that Krishna had disappeared, everybody suspected she may have drowned at the tank notorious for such incidents. The family and neighbours immediately launched a rescue mission.

Mohit, a neighbour of the Pashtyes, heard of the incident and rushed to the spot. By the time he reached the tank, more than 10 minutes had passed. Time was running out for Krishna - assuming she was even alive. A fearless Dalvi leapt into the waters going in at different spots and failing to locate the girl.

At the third try, he emerged, panting, with the drowned child in tow. He had pulled her out of the jaws of death.

"Her leg had gotten stuck in a ditch that had gotten created after we removed weeds from the lake recently. I had helped remove the plants and was aware of the ditch being deep and muddy," Dalvi had said at the time when asked about the rescue.

Local divers then administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the girl after which she was taken to the hospital. Mohit's aunt, Dimple Dalvi, who was very excited after hearing the news, said, "It is a great news. We are all proud of Mohit."