Bengaluru: A timely action by loco pilot Madivalappa helped save the life of a 25-year-old man, who had jumped on to the tracks when a Majestic bound Green Line metro train reached the National College station on Friday morning. This is the second such incident in the last seven years.
This happened while the train was about to halt at the station. Madivalappa applied emergency brakes, alerted the metro staff to trip power supply and inform the police. The victim, Venu, was immediately shifted to Victoria Hospital and then to NIMHANS and is said to be out of danger.
Train services on the Green Line were hit for about half an hour and passengers were stranded at various stations. Initially they had no idea why the trains were getting delayed. But later BMRCL officials informed the passengers.
A BMRCL official told Deccan Chronicle, "The incident took place around 11.20 am at National College Metro Station. A man jumped in front of a train in an attempt to commit suicide. He sustained head injuries, but fortunately the train did not run over him.”
Venu works as a tailor in Basavanagudi and the reason for his suicide attempt is yet to be ascertained by the police. He is unable to speak and is undergoing treatment at Nimhans, he added. The official lauded the presence of mind of the loco pilot for applying emergency brakes in the nick of time.
V.V. Puram police rushed to the spot and with the help of metro employees physically pushed the train a bit to rescue Venu, who was stuck between the tracks and the front wheels of the train.
A senior police officer informed that 750 volts of electricity passes on both sides of the track. Police sources said the youth was carrying no identification papers and he had not said anything about the reason for jumping on the tracks.
"He sustained head injuries and was unconscious. At NIMHANS the doctors performed a CT scan and ruled him out of danger. Initially our focus was to save his life, hence we had not filed any complaint,” a BMRCL official added.
Green Line hit
After the incident, BMRCL suspended services on the Green Line for nearly 30 minutes. This affected commuters from Yelachanahalli to Nagasandra stations. Many were forced to seek alternative transport. “I was waiting at Jayanagar metro station to go to my office at Rajajinagar. But till 12 noon not a single train arrived. Passengers became restless as they did not know the reason for the delay. Later when we came to know the reason for the delay, we had to look for BMTC services,” Supriya S, a commuter, said.
Purple Line not affected: BMRCL officials denied rumours that services on the Purple Line were also hit by the incident. “Purple Line runs between Nayandahalli and Byappanahalli stations and has no connection to the place where the incident happened,” the official said.
