The woman had delivered the child in the compartment and the umbilical chord was still attached when she and her baby were rescued from the train.
When Ramlal Pal and his nine-months pregnant wife Sudevi boarded a train from Kalyan to head to KEM Hospital, little did they know that their first child would be born in the same train. Sudevi was writhing in pain as she went into labour while the train was in motion.
Her cries for help went unheard, as co-passengers chose to distance themselves from the couple. However, Iqbal Ansari, a reporter with Urdu newspaper Inquilab, who was also travelling in the same compartment, immediately stepped into the shoes of a Good Samaritan, informing the railway authorities about the incident. Sudevi had delivered a boy in the train.
Ansari, who caught the train from Mumbra at 3.28 pm, was sitting just behind the couple. While the train reached Bhandup, Ansari heard the commotion and turned to see why people had deserted that section of the compartment. He saw Ramlal sitting with a baby boy in his hand, covered in blood, and his wife lying on the seat.
"No one was ready to help the couple and everyone, including a few women, only watched them. I asked Ramlal about the situation and he told me that his wife had just delivered a baby," said Ansari. The correspondent called the railways helpline number (1276), which was unreachable.
He then dialled the second number 9833331111, where the attendant asked him about the location, train timings and next possible station where help could be arranged. "The train had left Bhandup, so they asked me to pull the chain at Kanjurmarg station. As soon as the train entered the station, I pulled the chain and within a few moments, railway porters, along with the stationmaster, reached the compartment with stretchers," added Ansari.
Help, at lastBy that time, the co-passengers also started extending help. A few women in the compartment helped to carry the mother on the stretcher, along with the baby. The umbilical cord was still attached as the baby was taken to Rajawadi Hospital for further treatment.
"I am eternally thankful to Ansari, who came to help us in the moment of need while everybody else was just watching us. By God's grace, both the mother and baby are perfectly fine. I'll never forget what Ansari did for our family," said Ramlal.
Ansari said that he was only carrying out the responsibility of helping a fellow human being in need. "The couple was vulnerable with no idea what to do. I only did the needful or what any other person, present in the compartment, could've done. I am happy that the family welcomed their baby boy jubilantly," said Ansari.
An official spokesperson for Central Railway said, "Today (Tuesday) at around 3 pm, a 32-year-old woman gave birth to a baby boy in a CST slow train. As soon as we got the news, help was sent to the station. A female home guard and a male constable from the station transported the lady to Rajawadi Hospital."