PALGHAR: A 32-year-old man who claimed he fell from a moving train into the Vaitarna creek on Wednesday night was rescued by alert railway staff and local residents in a dramatic late-night operation. The incident occurred around 10pm when Uday Wangad, a resident of Boisar, was on his way home. He initially clung to a bridge pier and later held on to iron rods near the pier as strong currents flowed beneath him. Ramesh Singh, a railway “crack maintainer” on night duty, noticed movement in the water around 10.15pm. “As Uday saw the light of the torch, which I was using, he called for help and also was splashing water to gain my attention,” said Singh. “I told him to wait and hold the iron rods near the pier while I could get some help, else the water current may have swept him,” he added. Realising that Wangad was almost at the centre of the bridge and that swimming to him was not feasible, Singh called a friend from nearby Wadhiv village who owned a boat. Guru Patil, shakha pramukh of Shiv Sena (Shinde group) from Wadhiv, said, “I took my boat the moment my friend Ramesh Singh called and we rescued Uday.” Using the boat, the locals and railway staff managed to pull Wangad to safety. After the rescue, his family was informed and his mother arrived at the Vaitarna station master’s office, where he was handed over to her. Police said the exact circumstances under which Wangad fell from the train are yet to be ascertained.
