Alert youth prevents rail accident in Cooch Behar

After he spotted a large crack on the railway track near Ghughumari railway station in Cooch Behar, a youth pulled off his red shirt and waved it in front of a running train to stop it, preventing a fatal accident.

The youth, Madhab Das, managed to save hundreds of passengers, as the driver-motorman and other railway employees aboard the Bamanhat-Siliguri passenger train brought it to a halt after they saw the young man frantically waving the red cloth. The incident comes just a day after Hirakhand express train mishap, which claimed the lives of 39 people.

Around 7 am, a local youth spotted a crack on the rail tracks near Ghughumari rail station. He was in two minds as to what should be done and immediately informed the matter to his friend Madhab Das. Das ran towards the track to confirm his friend's fears and saw that the train had already entered the line.

Das hurriedly pulled off his shirt and started waving it in front of the rushing train. The driver initially could not see Das and kept the train running. Left with no choice, Das began to shout that there is a crack on the tracks and kept waving his red shirt vigorously. Eventually, the drive brought the train to a screeching halt.

After the train stopped, the driver and other railway officers rushed to the spot to find out that a part of the track was split into two pieces. Technicians soon reached the spot to repair the track. Train services were disrupted for sometime due to the repair work. The Bamanhat-Siliguri passenger soon reached its destination.

"Das was prompt to take action. He saved hundreds of lives. He will be awarded by the residents of this area," said Khokon Mian. Meanwhile, a specialised technical team of the Railways visited the spot and assured that the tracks had been repaired.

It may be recalled that a 10-year-old boy from Bengaluru had save hundreds of lives a few months ago in a similar way while he was returning from school. He spotted a two-inch long crack on the tracks and immediately took off his red Manchester United jersey to stop a rushing train. The boy, Siddesh Manjunath, was later awarded at a function on Children's Day.