Thread by @Paperclip_In

The #Netflix series #TheRailwayMen based on the infamous Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984 just dropped to rave reviews. Today, we look back at one of the real life railway men who emerged as an unlikely savior on that tragic night - a thread (1/12)

It was the night of 2nd Dec, 1984. The deputy station master of Bhopal railway station, Ghulam Dastagir was doing routine paperwork in his office. It was time for the Bombay-Gorakhpur Express to arrive any moment (2/12)

Dastagir casually stepped out of his office when he sensed something was not right. His eyes started to burn and his throat felt bitter. Alarmed, Dastagir immediately rushed to talk to his superior, the station master. A shocking sight greeted him (3/12)

In his cabin, the lifeless form of Dhurve, the station superintendent, lay prone. Dastagir realized something was terribly amiss. He immediately relayed messages to nearby stations to stop all trains scheduled to arrive at Bhopal (4/12)

Meanwhile, the train to Gorakhpur had already arrived, its departure not scheduled for another 15-20 mins. He ordered his staff to make sure the train left immediately. Ghulam Dastagir's timely action saved the lives of hundreds of passengers on that train (5/12)

By this time, 23 of the station's staff had already succumbed to the deadly gas emanating from the Union Carbide plant. Dastagir himself was struggling to breathe. But Dastagir and his team members worked tirelessly in face of near-certain death to save other lives (6/12)

By then, large crowds had congregated at the station - looking for an escape route from certain death. Soon, most of them were choking and vomiting as the poison in the air started taking its toll. Nothing would have prepared Dastagir for the tragedy now unfolding (7/12)

But Dastagir kept his cool. He messaged for medical help for the people amassed at the station. Coughing and choking, he ran around, supervising the situation, issuing orders and most importantly, offering a beacon of hope in a hopeless scenario (8/12)

While his selfless actions saved countless lives, the incident extracted a heavy personal toll from Ghulam Dastagir. One of his sons succumbed to the deadly gas. Another developed a permanent skin infection. Ghulam Dastagir himself wasn't spared (9/12)

Inhalation of the toxic gas led to a lump forming in his throat. In the coming years, hospital visits became a permanent feature of his life. Ghulam Dastagir passed away in 2003 (10/12)

At Bhopal station, a memorial was erected in memory of the 23 railway personnel who died on that fateful night. Sadly, as Dastagir's death happened nearly two decades later, his name doesn't feature on it (11/12)

But during the night of 2-3 December, 1984, Ghulam Dastagir proved true American singer Gerard Way's famous quote "Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary" (12/12)

Sources:




Images:
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dailypioneer.com/2019/columnist…
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indiarailinfo.com/station/map/bh…
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