In a shocking incident, a 15-year-old boy died while saving the lives of three children in his village in Bihar’s Nalanda.
The boy, Cadet Amit Raj, is a class 10 student of Sainik School in West Bengal’s Purulia. His father, Bhushan Kumar, who is a contract labourer in Mumbai, said that the incident occurred on 3 December.
The boy showed exemplary courage and entered the house and saved three kids while sustaining 95% burn in the process.
His father told The Sunday Guardian: “I was in Mumbai when this incident happened. Amit had come here due to lockdown and didn’t go back and he was attending online classes. People said that there was a gas leak in a neighbour’s house. He was jogging at around 6 am that day. He ran towards the house when he heard the screams. He tried to stop the fire and save the kids, but he was caught in flames.”
His father said that they took him to a nearby hospital where he was referred to a hospital in Patna.
“After his school got to know about the incident, they took him to Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital on 9 December for treatment. I came back from Mumbai on 6 December. He was fine till 12 December, talking to me and eating, but later that night his condition worsened. He passed away at around 12 noon on 13 December,” his father said.
His father also said he did what he had to do and he is proud that he sacrificed his life for others.
“I have two children, a girl who is in class 9 and a boy who is in class 8. I had so many expectations from him. I used to think he will help me after 2-3 years and now see? Whatever I earned, I invested in his studies. I am just a labourer. I haven’t received any support yet, but some authorities came and said they were trying to get some help for me, but we haven’t received anything yet. The school authorities are also in touch with us,” his father added.
On 24 December, the Indian Army condoled Amit’s death and tweeted: “15-year-old Cadet Amit Raj of Sainik School Purulia sacrificed his own life while saving the lives of three children. He will continue to inspire future generations with his courage and bravery. Indian Army salutes the supreme sacrifice of the Braveheart.”