SARASIJ'S BLOG

NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||4th APRIL 2026

Image
  NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||4 th APRIL 2026 SATURDAY| VOL—V/2026/APRIL OPINIONATED, FOR FREE CIRCULATION. “ अकर्तव्यं न कर्तव्यं प्राणैः कण्ठगतैरपि । कर्तव्यमेव कर्तव्यं प्राणैः कण्ठगतैरपि ” ॥ *Meaning* : Whatever is not right to be done, must never be done even on pain of death; and what is right to do, must be done even if one should die for the same. * भावार्थ* : जो कार्य निषिद्ध है , उसे प्राण कण्ठगत (मृत्यु संकट उपस्थित होने की स्थिति) पर भी नहीं करना चाहिये। जो कर्तव्य है , उसे अपने प्राण की परवाह न करते हुये भी अवश्य करना चाहिये .   INDIA: (GOI, SWARAJYA, VISHWAMITRA, HINDU POST, INDIA TODAY). The central government’s decision to migrate 16.68 lakh official email accounts to Zoho’s cloud platform, at a total cost of Rs 180.10 crore, represents one of the larger administrative technology transitions undertaken in recent years. While this may appear to be a routine IT upgrade, the scale, structure and intent of the migration suggest that it is part...

 

BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY--I

GHULAM DASTAGIR: AN UNSUNG HERO

SARASIJ MAJUMDER

He was the Deputy Station Superintendent of Bhopal Junction on December 3rd 1984.

Yes, the Night Bhopal Gas tragedy happened.

Unfortunately for him and fortunately for so many, he stayed there to complete some pending work.

At midnight when he stepped on to the platform, he felt an itch in his throat and burning sensation in his eyes. He rushed to his Station Superintendent's office, but he was dead already.

The Gorakhpur - Mumbai express train with more than 1000 passengers on board was waiting on the platform, for which the departure time was 20 minutes away.

Trusting his instincts, he knew something was clearly wrong. He summoned his staff and told them to clear the train for departure. Even though the staff wasn't ready to do that without any authority, he said he would take full responsibility for the early departure. Breaking all the rules, he flagged off the train.

At this time, he was not even able to walk or breathe properly. But he ignored it.

He then rushed to control room and suspended all the trains coming to Bhopal Junction. He also sent an SOS to nearby stations seeking medical help, which lead to the arrival of paramedics and Ambulance to the station.

He ran from platform to platform consoling the affected passengers and ensuring medical help.

He stayed in the station, doing his duty, knowing that his family is out there in the same city.

His devotion to duty saved thousands of lives that day but he lost one of his son and another developed a lifelong skin infection.

His life was saved on that day, but he was never able to lead a normal life from then. He died in 2003 after 19 years fighting the painful growth in his throat due to the exposure to Methyl Isocyanate.

The railways installed a memorial for those who sacrificed their life on that day. But Gulam Dastagir is not even in the list.

He and his family would've been saved, if he had not chosen to save many others instead of saving himself. But his choice was different.

“A Hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself”----Joseph Campbell


And by all means he's a HERO.

Source:- A railway Publication; Old TOI dt.04-06/12/1984

NOTE:--  2nd Publication is scheduled later.

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

OPERATION SINDOOR ||| ECONOMIC LOSSES OF PAKISTAN

SIR—WEST BENGAL ||| WHAT IS REVEALED