We met first time in Nagpur. It was in a function organised to facilitate him for his brave act. A simpleton. The usual subdued attitude of a typical highway driver when in an unfamiliar gathering and that too of some higher echelons. He was with his family. The same awed look on their faces as well, perplexed as to where they have landed. No prizes to guess who is Sajid Khan!
A man in his mid-thirties, our hero, Sajid Khan was presentably dressed and groomed befitting the occasion. Beyond the external looks he was lost somewhere within. I flashed a smile and held his hand in admiration. With the casual conversation, the stiffness started melting. By this time, you might be puzzled why the brouhaha about this highway truck driver?
He is a hero in real life. People of Gotegaon could hardly forget that dreadful night. It brings shivers even to imagine the potential catastrophic situation but for the brave and impromptu act of this very brave driver, Sajid Khan.
BPCL petrol bunk of the town is in the middle of the main market. Shops galore, small and big. People thronging the place at that busy hour of the evening. Celebrations of Ramanavami nearby was adding to the melee. Suddenly there was a commotion around and people were running helter-skelter. A burning truck was being driven on the highway leaving behind a trail of fire. By the time one could understand, the truck was gone far off. Away from the petrol bunk. Away from the people and the shops. Fire tenders with screaming sirens and flashing lights followed the burning truck in a short while.
March 26, 2018 was like any other day in the life of driver Sajid Khan. He drove his fuel tanker to the petrol bunk at Gotegaon in Narsingpur district of Madhya Pradesh. He was asked to park his tanker aside and wait. The people at the fuel station of BPCL were preoccupied. Location and faces may change but long waits were nothing new for Sajid Khan. He parked his vehicle as advised. Only after a 3 hour wait his tankers defueling process could commence. Half way through as he was mopping the traces of possible spill of petrol around the dump head he noticed eruption of flames around. May be a short circuit in the vicinity. Soon the small flames started leaping. Sajid Khan rushed to close the main valve. At that moment natural human instinct was screaming within to run away from the fire. But the conscious mind knew the disaster it could lead. No question of a second thought. His actions henceforth have to be swift. The safety training that he went through prompted him to do the right thing at the right time. The brave heart jumped behind the steering. Before the situation could sink in the people around he was off with the towering inferno. Not caring a fig about himself, Khan drove the burning tanker. His only mission was to take the towering inferno away from the petrol bunk, away from the people milling about in the street. Away from the shops and properties. He drove almost 5 km to an isolated place before bringing it to a halt. He jumped out of the tanker. Oblivious of his own severe burns he rushed with the fire extinguisher to douse off the fire. Some emergency action till the fire services arrived. Soon the fire brigade reached and took over. The tanker was badly burnt. Good Samaritans around gave him a first aid and was rushed to the nearby hospital for treatment.
Khan, the brave heart, had conquered in thwarting a major human tragedy by driving a burning truck loaded with combustible fuel away from the BPCL fuel station.
His burn injuries gradually are healing. But he is out of job. He has no insurance cover. Once again, a common storey of our highway drivers. His transporter is willing to take him back but for the ifs and buts of BPCL in holding back his bread earning.
TransportMitra and Drivers Duniya took the initiative to recognize the bravery of the driver. Friends of Drivers, a dedicated group for the welfare of the drivers, did the crowd funding to reward the hero. Mahindra Group voluntarily stepped forward and contributed Rs. 50,000 as a token of their appreciation for Sajid Khan. NMVM supremo Sri Prahladji Agarwal came forward to not only contribute financially but also to include the bravery award into NMVM annual meet at Nagpur.
No speaker could resist confining his/her speaking slot entirely to applaud Khan.
All said and done he was the cynosure of all eyes at the gala function.
Again, unexpectedly but pleasantly, the overall theme of the function turned into discussing the sad plight of truck drivers and how the entire society is letting them down by not showing even basic humanitarian touch! And what ought to be done to redress this anomaly!
The evening truly belonged to Sajid Khan. Flowers. A big fat Rs. one lakh cheque. Unending encomium.
For Khan, not used to such adulation, it would have been an unforgettable evening. A truck driver felicitated? Khan would be rubbing his eyes in disbelief on his return journey to Seoni, near Jabalpur with his kith and kin.
At the same time unable to decipher the silence of BPCL for a real hero who saved one of its pumps going up in flames by putting his own life at peril.
By Raghuram Sharma