Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – In the midst of chaos and tragedy, Mohammad Hashim, a porter at the New Delhi Railway Station, emerged as a hero during the tragic stampede that claimed 18 lives. Hashim, risking his own life, managed to save multiple children, including a four-year-old girl who was believed to be dead.
Recalling the horrific incident, Hashim became emotional as he described the moment he resuscitated the child as can be seen in video.
Hashim told to media that all the porters on duty at the time did their best to help the Kumbh mela devotees who were stranded at the Railway station to board the train and faced the unfortunate stampede.
“Working as a potter at New Delhi Railway station, I never in my life saw such a horrific scene. Though Railways managed heavy crowds on the past several occasions but I don’t know what happened that day,” Hashim said.
Narrating the incident Hashim says, “We were working as usual when we suddenly heard screams. All the porters rushed toward the commotion. The sight was heartbreaking—children lay on the ground, and men and women ran frantically in every direction,” he said.
“People were screaming. We pulled several children out of the crowd. Some people had died, while others had lost consciousness. We carried them to the ambulance on our handcarts.”
Among those Hashim rescued was a four-year-old girl whose mother was wailing, convinced she had lost her child.
“I pulled the girl out and, just minutes later, she started breathing again. Her mother collapsed in tears of joy,” Hashim recounted.
Reflecting on the events, he said, “Maybe we were brave, or maybe we were just foolish to risk our own lives—but we managed to save several people.”
Hashim and his fellow porters said that they have never witnessed such a catastrophe before.
“The crowd gathers every day for multiple trains, but only God knows what went wrong that day. One thing is certain—porters played a big role in helping.”