Not many know that during the Bhopal gas tragedy, a brave stationmaster risked his life to rescue countless lives.

This untold story is about deputy station superintendent Ghulam Dastagir, whose actions saved many lives and prevented even greater casualties in the disaster.

‘The Railway Men’ — a mini-series on Netflix — is shining a spotlight on this heroic man and his inspiring story.

It was on the night of the tragedy that Ghulam Dastagir, the deputy station master stepped out to get some air and felt a burning sensation in his eyes and throat.

Till then, he was unaware that poisonous fumes were leaking from Union Carbide’s pesticide factory and was engulfing the railway station. Beginning to choke, he was unaware that 23 of his colleagues had already suffocated and died. As the condition worsened, Dastagir knew he had to do something.

When he could not get an answer from the station master, he alerted the senior staff at nearby stations, like Vidisha and Itarsi, to suspend all trains bound for Bhopal.

However, a fully packed Gorakhpur-Kanpur Express was already on the platform and was waiting for departure. He asked his staff to signal the train away from the station. While his staff wanted him to wait for confirmation from seniors, he followed his intuition and took full responsibility for the train’s early departure

However, this was not the end of his duty. He stayed and helped hundreds of people who had rushed to the station to flee the city. He also sent an SOS to all the nearby railway offices, asking for immediate medical help.

While his devotion saved hundreds of lives, he lost one of his two sons that night.

He, too, suffered from a prolonged illness and died due to a painful growth in the throat resulting from prolonged exposure to toxic fumes.

A memorial was built at ‘platform one’ to honour those who died in the line of duty on 3 December, 1984. However, Ghulam Dastagir, who passed away later, isn’t one among them.

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