2015 was a good time for Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and the entire Ministry. They received many accolades for their quick action to people who tweeted to them. Right from helping an ailing father after his son’s tweet, to helping a woman passenger being harassed in the train; from feeding hungry school students stranded in a delayed train, to the time when he fined a caterer who was overcharging passengers for water, Suresh Prabhu has used Twitter the right way and has left no stone unturned to make the experience of the passengers better. And now with the new year, he’s in the news again for one more thing done rightly, by saving the life of a 2-year-old kid after her father tweeted to the minister asking for help for his extremely sick daughter. Suresh Prabhu’s quick response saved a two-year-old child’s life on the Bhagalpur – Bangalore Anga Express. He arranged for emergency medical care at the Asansol station and the child who was suffering fro severe dehydration, was admitted to the paediatric ward of the divisional railway hospital in Asansol. Image source

Bangasikha, the 2-year-old child was accompanied by her parents, software engineer Shankar Pandit and his wife and the family was travelling from Kiul, Bihar, to Bengaluru after attending a ceremony, on board the Anga Express in an AC-II tier A1 coach.

Shankar Pandit told TOI from Asansol, “Bangasikha fell ill soon after the train started from Kiul. She started throwing up and had loose motions. There was nothing that we could do to control it. Other passengers and train staff tried to help but her condition deteriorated. You can imagine how desperate our situation was. There was so much luggage with us and we couldn’t even consider getting off at some unknown location to seek medical help. Bangasikha was clearly sinking. It was then that I tweeted an SOS to @RailMinIndia. Within a couple of minutes, I received a call from the railway minister’s office. Then I was flooded with calls from railway officials who wanted to know my location and other details. I had never anticipated such a response. I feel honoured and privileged”.



Suresh Prabhu got into immediate action after receiving the tweet and had a fully-equipped medical team, along with an ambulance, waiting at the Asansol station when the train reached there at 8:50 PM.

Sukhen Gorai, assistant divisional medical officer, Asansol, who attended to the child at the station said, “The child was in serious condition. She was very dehydrated and on the verge of collapse. This is very dangerous for a child her age. After a preliminary check-up, I told the parents to get her admitted to the railway hospital. Doctors at the hospital had been informed of the situation in advance and were prepared when our ambulance reached there within a few minutes. The child received proper treatment there and is on her way to full recovery”.

A very grateful Shankar Pandit says, “Our daughter is well now, thanks to the railways. We spent Wednesday night in the hospital and moved to a hotel on Thursday. The railways not only saved my child but also assured that our tickets from Asansol to Bengaluru would be confirmed”.

That’s a double win for both him and his family. We hope Suresh Prabhu lives up to his name of a good minister and keeps doing good even in the new year.

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