Janjgir Champa:An unsung hero has emerged from the Rahul Sahu rescue saga in Chhattisgarh's Janjgir Champa district, where the 11-year-old with speech and hearing difficulty was trapped in a borewell for over five days. While rescue teams worked day and night to successfully extract the boy from the depths of the borewell, B Anil Kumar, an NDRF jawan, played his part as a companion, in the process not sleeping a wink and continuously interacting with Rahul. The mammoth 104-hour operation saw participation from NDRF, SDRF, Indian Army, and local administration among other volunteers.
Rahul rescue NDRF jawan turned companion kept interacting with boy trapped in Borewell for 104 hours The NDRF jawan's role shifted between rescuer and friend regularly, as he took stock of Rahul's situation, provided him food, and even called the latter in the morning to wake him up. Speaking to ETV Bharat, Kumar narrated his ordeal. "In 5 days, Rahul ate nine fruits and a dozen bananas. He also helped in the rescue operation. He filled the bucket with water and helped us take it out. I had become friends with Rahul.
Also read:Operation Rahul: Child rescued 'alive and safe' from borewell after 104 hours
On the first day, he did not respond to any calls from the rescue team and was quite scared. In the morning, I inquired his family members about his favorite fruits and drinks. A banana was sent into the borewell, which he eventually ate. He also put a straw in the mango drink and drank it," Kumar said, adding that the boy recognized his voice, and eventually started eating after hearing him.
The situation inside the borewell, away from sunlight and human contact, however, was difficult. "A well-like pit had formed inside the bore, in which there was also a stone to sit. This is the corner that Rahul had turned into his own world. He used to hide behind the stone after getting food and drinks and also slept with his head on top of the stone, so it kept him away from the water," Kumar noted.
The boy tried to hide once the rescue operation sped up on Tuesday afternoon, but crucially, kept responding to Kumar's voice. The NDRF jawan attributed the success to teamwork. "All of us here worked day and night to get Rahul out. All the Army personnel, NDRF people, local police, volunteers - all of my colleagues put their efforts into making this a success," he said.
