A father’s refusal to believe in his son’s death in the Odisha train tragedy not only drove him 230 kilometres to Balasore, but also helped him track his son down and bring him back safely to Kolkata.
A triple train collision in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday killed at least 288 people and injured over 1200 others.
Biswajit Malik, a 24-year-old passenger who had boarded the Coromandel Express, was presumed to have died in the accident.
According to Times of India, Biswajit’s father Helaram Malik’s search for his son led him to a makeshift mortuary in Odisha, where he arrived after travelling for almost 230 kilometres in an ambulance from Kolkata.
The touching story of Malik’s father’s refusal to give up on his firm belief has gone viral.
Biswajit was taken home from Odisha and underwent surgery at SSKM Hospital’s trauma care unit. He is now scheduled to have several more surgeries.
Malik’s status is stated to be stable despite his grave injuries.
Malik’s father, according to the report, owns a modest shop in Howrah. Helaram called his son after learning about the Odisha railway tragedy and discovered that he had been severely hurt.
Without a second thought, he rushed off in an ambulance with his brother-in-law Dipak Das to Odisha’s Balasore to bring his kid home.
Things, however, did not go as planned. Helaram ran from pillar to post in search of his son, but he did not give up. Helaram and Das continued their search until they arrived at Bahanaga High School, where they were met with a slew of bodies kept inside the temporary mortuary.
When there was a disturbance, they noticed a hand shivering amid the bodies, according to Das.
Das stated that when they noticed a shivering hand, they understood it was Biswajit, who had been severely hurt. They took Biswajit and promptly left for Balasore Hospital where he was given first aid.
Doctors asked Helaram to take his son to Cuttack Medical College Hospital. He signed a bond, had his son discharged and returned home.
According to reports, Biswajit suffered many fractures to his right hand. He will have a couple more surgeries.
