Jhansi, July 6 — A young Army doctor delivered a baby girl using nothing more than a hair clip and a pocket knife, ensuring the survival of both mother and child in an emergency that left onlookers stunned.
The incident occurred Saturday afternoon at the Jhansi railway station, where a pregnant woman travelling on the Panvel-Gorakhpur Express began experiencing severe labour pains. She was immediately deboarded, and as her condition deteriorated, railway staff scrambled for help.
Among those present was Major Dr Rohit Bachwala (31), a medical officer with the Army Medical Corps, who happened to be waiting for a train when he noticed a railway employee urgently wheeling the woman in distress. Acting without hesitation, Major Bachwala stepped forward and assumed charge of the situation.
“There was no access to an operation theatre or even basic medical instruments,” he later said. “To clamp the umbilical cord, I used a hair clip. A pocket knife helped me cut it after ensuring the baby was stable. The mother and child were both in a precarious condition, and every second mattered.”
The delivery was carried out near the lift area of the station, where the woman had collapsed from the intensity of labour. With the assistance of a female ticket-checking staffer and other railway personnel, the army doctor quickly created a makeshift delivery zone on the platform floor. Using available materials, he maintained basic hygiene and managed the birth.
“It was divine intervention that I happened to be there,” Major Bachwala said. “We’re trained to be ready in any condition, and this was a moment where that training had to rise to the occasion.”
According to Manoj Kumar Singh, Public Relations Officer of North Central Railway’s Jhansi Division, the woman was quickly transported by ambulance to a local hospital along with the newborn. Medical staff later confirmed that both mother and baby were in stable condition.
What made the incident even more remarkable was that, after the successful delivery, Major Bachwala calmly boarded his train to Hyderabad—on time.
“As doctors, we must be prepared for emergencies at all times, even in transit,” he said. “I consider it a blessing that I could help save two lives.”
The story of the selfless intervention has since spread widely, drawing admiration across social media and local communities for the Army doctor whose calm, courage, and commitment turned a train platform into a birthing room—and a near-disaster into a story of hope.
