Mumbai: When the labour pain suddenly began intensifying around 12.30 a.m. on Saturday, Zeba Parveen was changing trains at Thane railway station. Within minutes, the 22-year-old knew she wouldn’t make it to the BMC-run Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar.
Frantic with worry, her husband Mohammed Abdul Ansari, an autorickshaw driver by profession, and mother-in-law Roshan Bano Ansari, who were accompanying her, turned to the only source of help they could see: a Government Railway Police (GRP) officer patrolling the platform.
The officer alerted the Station Master as per protocol, and support was sent their way in the form of a woman constable and a health unit staff member from the GRP. With their help, Ms. Parveen delivered a baby girl on the platform at 12.30 a.m. on Saturday.
Police to the rescue
Senior PI Uttam Sonawane, Thane GRP, said, “The Station Master alerted us about a medical emergency, and we immediately sent a team to the spot. They helped Ms. Parveen give birth safely and brought her to our health unit.”
Ms. Parveen, a Titwala resident, said, “I started feeling pain around 8 p.m. on Friday, and we decided to go to Rajawadi Hospital, where doctors had been monitoring my pregnancy. We took a train to Thane, from where we were to change to another one to reach Ghatkopar. However, as we drew into Thane station around 12.30 a.m., the pain intensified and I couldn’t move.”
Later, the GRP took Ms. Parveen to Thane Civil Hospital in an ambulance, and personnel accompanying them took care of formalities at the hospital. Ms. Parveen, a homemaker, said, “Doctors have told us that everything is normal and my newborn is in good health. I got a lot of help from the railway staff during the delivery as well as at the hospital, as they took care of all our paperwork.”
She added that she had visited Rajawadi Hospital for a routine check-up early on Friday. Ms. Ansari said, “The doctor said Zeba was due for delivery next week, which is why we didn’t admit her the same day to Rajawadi Hospitalon.”
