26 April,2021 05:48 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
A screenshot of the video shows Mayur Shelke rescuing Sahil Shirsat from the tracks at Vangani station on April 17. File pic
Was there an attempt to suppress the video showing Vangani rail hero's deeds? Questions have been raised on why the video is a mobile recording of the CCTV camera footage and not the original footage itself. Sources said that the custodians of the CCTV footage at Vangani station allegedly did not cooperate with Mayur Shelke and his colleagues when he requested them to report the instance of bravery to the headquarters, like all other good deeds.
On April 17 evening, Shelke, a pointsman with the railways, saved six-year-old Sahil Shirsat from an express train hurtling towards them after the boy fell on the tracks. The whole rescue took place within 13 seconds.
The clip initially went viral not officially, but only after Shelke managed to record the actual footage on mobile and put it on social media after the refusal from the CCTV camera custodians.
Shelke forwarded the clip to his colleagues who first shared it with their peers on WhatsApp groups and someone among those put it on Twitter and Facebook where it went viral.
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It was only after praise started pouring in from everywhere that the railways took note of it. Trade unions have called for an enquiry into this aspect, saying that if it was not for social media and the friendly act by Shelke's colleague, the deed would never have been known to the world.
"While video clips of brave policemen and staff are put out by railways officially, this one went viral on its own and then railways took it over. It was a good deed and it was unfair that it had to be done this way. I have conveyed this to the divisional railway manager and called for a full investigation into this conspiracy. Railways are like a family and such tendencies should be discouraged," National Railway Mazdoor Union General Secretary Venu P. Nair said. Central Railway's chief spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said they were looking into the matter.
13
Duration in seconds of the entire rescue
